


A Matter of Stature

by Mikari



Series: Attack on Heichou [1]
Category: Attack on Titan, Shingeki no Kyojin, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Comedy, Drama, F/M, Humor, Romance, romcom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-17 03:58:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 54
Words: 121,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3514526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikari/pseuds/Mikari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A rich sheltered girl from Sina is finally cured of the illness that had weakened her for years, only to be told she's engaged to a man she's never met. To make matters worse, the cure to her decease came with side-effects. Levi x Reader</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A rich sheltered girl from Sina is finally cured of the illness that had weakened her for years, only to be told she's engaged to a man she's never met. To make matters worse, the cure to her decease came with side-effects. Levi x Reader

A rich sheltered girl from Sina is finally cured of the illness that had weakened her for years, only to be told she's engaged to a man she's never met. To make matters worse, the cure to her decease came with side-effects. Levi x Reader

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 1: Suspicion

'Maybe this Levi guy I'm engaged to isn't so bad,' you thought as the carriage got ever closer to your destination. The scenery of Sina's luxury evolved into the middle class of Rose. You were supposed to meet him in Rose territory, an area that you had never visited before, as you had been born and raised in Sina. Your life had taken one surprising turn after another lately. 

You miraculously conquered an illness that had plagued you since birth and finally had the opportunity to live a normal life, but then you were told you had been engaged to marry a man called Levi. The whole matter left your head spinning, but while you struggled to make sense of it, you tried to remain optimistic. 

Your father loved you, he wouldn't approve of this mysterious Levi if he wasn't a good man. Then again, you had heard talk among the mansion staff that your father had only met Levi briefly and never really spoke to him. Furthermore, you heard from Mary Anne, one of the younger maids, that Levi was being pushed into the marriage against his will. You tried not to think too much about it. Maybe the rumors were lies.

The carriage stopped and you saw two males approaching it, a blond man and a black haired boy. You wondered if the blond was the mysterious Levi, they were both wearing Survey Corps uniforms. They stopped in front of the carriage and the blond opened the door. You took a deep breath and tried to at least be friendly. "Good afternoon..."

"Good afternoon, miss (name)," the tall blond man extended his hand in greeting, "I'm Erwin Smith, commander of the Survey Corps."

"Pleased to meet you," you replied unsure. You were expecting Levi to be there the second you got out of the carriage, but there was no one else around aside from Erwin and the cranky looking boy. You were told the union was to be kept low key, and you didn't protest to that, since you didn't entirely agree to the union in the first place. Never mind that Melinda, the family's stylist, was making you a dress just in case an actual ceremony took place in the future.

Erwin paused for a moment as if waiting for something to happen. The whole time the cranky boy kept glaring at you. You surmised that he was simply rude. "It's a pleasure to meet you too," Erwin finally voiced. "Shall we finish the paperwork?"

You wanted to say no, but felt you had little choice in the matter. "Of course..." You followed Erwin into the building in front of which the carriage had stopped. It was a tall government building where many types of documents, marriage certificates included, were filed. Normally, the paperwork was either done as soon as an engagement occurred, or right after the ceremony. Sometimes the paperwork took time because the families couldn't decide how much of their fortunes to share and how much they wanted to assure they kept for themselves in case of a divorce. This particular marriage was quite simple, you would share nothing, nothing material at least. The arrangement didn't surprise you. Your father would be called a fool and his business would be affected if the precaution wasn't taken.

The large building held several doors, spaces filled with desks, accountants and secretaries doing various calculations and sorting paperwork. A few people came in and out, to request documents, to sell properties, to argue taxes. There were no couples though, not happy or otherwise. You wished you could have just signed the documents at home and sent them in, but you also knew that it wouldn't make a difference. It didn't matter if you were walking through a building that smelled of dust and ink or sitting in a nice cafe across from Levi, whoever he may be, it would still be terribly awkward.

You finally reached your destination where twin attorneys you were sure you've seen before were waiting. You didn't remember their names, though you did recall hearing a rumor that they sometimes switched places in court when they thought the case needed a change of strategy. The two men were identical, dirty blond hair and pale brown eyes, their expressions focused as if waiting for an opportunity to attack. Their grey suits and black ties were identical as well. You weren't really listening to what they were saying. Instead, you were looking every which way, confirming over and over that only you, the lawyers, Erwin and the cranky boy were in the room.

You heard one of the twins address a Mr. Ackerman. The cranky boy exchanged looks with Erwin in some silent communication, then signed the document. You were then called to do the same, but you were too busy staring in open mouthed shock at the boy, only then noticing that he wasn't a boy, but a man that was rather short. You still thought he looked kind of boyish, but no mere boy could have lived long enough to accumulate the amount of displeasure in this man's eyes. 

The other twin echoed his brother's words with a slightly more impatient tone and you finally snapped awake. You picked up the pen and held it unsure. You looked at the signature on the paper, written in very neat penmanship, Levi Ackerman. Until that moment, you haven't even known his lastname. You just stared at the name, trying to decipher what kind of person was its owner. 

The lawyers grew impatient and began to offer Erwin some small talk, something about how people were saying that the Survey Corps were a waste of taxes, and that if he ever noticed anything wrong with the supplies that were delivered to the base he should sue the merchants. You knew that what they were suggesting, perhaps hoping for in the name of having an interesting case to represent, was sabotage. Erwin denied such a thing, though that didn't deter the twins from continuing to advertise their services.

"Are you going to sign it?" Levi finally asked, annoyed. You gripped the pen in anger. You wanted to give him a piece of your mind, tell him that he shouldn't be so rude to a lady, or to anyone for that matter. Your anger turned to frustration, which quickly became fear. What kind of life would you live with this man, who seemed to carry such a sour existence? You had a strange sensation on your hand as you squeezed the pen in worry and an odd mist began to appear around it. Though Levi had kept his distance so far, he stepped forward in the first show of interest he had ever displayed towards your person. 

Your mind registered the possibility that maybe Levi wasn't a terribly miserable person, maybe he was just angry about the marriage. If he was forced into it as well, he had the right to be. You didn't have anyone you were dating, but what if he did? The mist that had began to float around your hand dissipated and you sighed. He had already signed, he was resigned to his fate and you didn't think you had a choice but to be the same way. You signed your name, though you had to admit it wasn't as neatly penned as his.

You glanced at Levi. He wasn't giving you deadly glares of disdain anymore, instead he was looking at you as if you were some kind of criminal, a dangerous creature that had to be kept under close watch in case in needed to be terminated. You looked away, but you could still feel his critical eyes on you, suspicion, disbelief and a sense of curiosity eradiated from him.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title, as you might have guessed, pokes fun at Levi being kind of short. Stature is also used to mean rank or social standing. The story holds many secrets that will be revealed little by little. There will be both drama and comedy in the future, and of course, as expected of a reader insert, romance too. This is my first Attack on Titan fanfic, but I have written a lot of reader inserts and non-reader insert fanfics before. I hope you enjoy this story, comments are very welcomed and appreciated. I will be updating very often. 
> 
> Tutorials: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	2. Chapter 2: Awakening

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 2: Awakening

"It's done," Levi finally spoke after you signed for the marriage document. He made it sound like he had just finished performing a foul deed that left him feeling more defiance than remorse. 

The twin lawyers took the paperwork to take care of properly processing it and archiving it. They gave one final sales pitch to Erwin, then sent you all on your way with a casual, "good day," spoken in perfect unison.

The walk out of the government building that smelled of dust and ink was even more uncomfortable than the walk in, though you haven't thought that was possible. "Well," Erwin smiled after a heavy sigh, that he probably didn't intend to allow to be so obvious. "Now that the paperwork is done, I guess I'll leave you two to get to know each other." He was there as a witness, you realized. You couldn't get yourself to muster an answer for him, even if it was terribly impolite to remain so silent.

Erwin left and soon after, Levi began to walk in a different direction. You followed him, assuming he wanted you to do so. Besides, the carriage had left while you were inside, you didn't know anyone in Rose and you had never left your family's estate, you didn't know what else to do but to follow Levi. People walked to and from every direction in the street. Murmurs and shouts mixed together in a noisy atmosphere with too many conversations going on at the same time. You felt uneasy and wanted to run away, but your legs felt odd, heavy. Maybe you were having a relapse into your illness.

Levi walked swiftly, albeit you had the feeling that he was keeping an eye on you in a discreet, yet alert way. You hurried to keep pace with him and tried to say something, the way he simply refused to speak to you was creeping you out. "So... Levi... Um..." You tried to think of a casual question to ask. "How old are you?"

"Older than you," came his simple answer. He didn't elaborate or ask for your own age in return, which for whatever reason he already seemed to be aware of.

"You look young," you bit your lip, did he know you had assumed he was only a boy when you first saw him? "I mean... in a good way..." you stumbled over your words and he offered none. You felt so uncomfortable, so exposed and vulnerable. You didn't want to live your life married to a cranky man who ignored you and you didn't think you wanted any attention from him either. You wished that the mysterious Levi had turned out to be someone else, the man that Melinda had made you imagine when she was reassuring you back home. You stopped walking, your legs hurt.

Levi stopped as well and stared at you. "What are you doing?" The way he demanded it was as if he thought you were going to attack him. He looked around, examining his surroundings, taking note of all the people around. His hands rested on his swords.

"It hurts..." You whispered. This time you were not distracted enough to miss the mist. It gathered around your legs and a few passers were giving you odd looks. "What is this?" You blinked in confusion, wondering if your vision was going blurry. Yet the mist was only there, on your legs, the rest of the world looked clear.

"Not here!" Suddenly, Levi took your hand and started running. You didn't know where he was going, but he was doing a fine job of dragging you along.

"Slow down!" You complained, but he did the opposite. You tried to pull your hand away from his grip, but found it to be impossible. He dashed into an alley leading to some dark stairs. "Stop!"

You were ignored, Levi hurried down the stairs with you in tow, until you finally couldn't take it anymore. The future scared you, the present scared you, Levi scared you. You momentarily lost the feeling on your legs and fell. You felt heavy as you tripped and knocked Levi to the ground as he reached the bottom to the steps. You landed on top of him, but in a swift movement one of his swords was hovering above your neck, ready to decapitate you.

You froze, was he really thinking about killing you? The feeling on your legs returned, but they felt trapped in... something, you didn't know what. "Why?" It was the only word you could breathe out in your confusion.

"You... have no idea," Levi concluded. He put his sword down. "Look at your legs."

You did so, expecting to find them tangled up on something. Yet the thing that you saw was shocking, to say the least. You saw the muscle tissue of two partially formed much larger legs. You were about to scream, but Levi covered your mouth.

"You didn't know about this?" He didn't release you, so you could only shake your head in fright. The mist was starting to appear around you again, this time covering your whole body. "Calm down," Levi ordered, but of course, that made you panic even more and the thickness of the strange mist intensified. 

Levi moved to get up, finally letting you go, but you automatically clung to him as if driven by survival instinct alone. "Make it stop!"

"Just calm down," Levi's voice was far less harsh now. "You'll be fine, you can control this." You didn't know what this was and told him as much. "(Name)," it was the first time he had ever called you by your name. "You'll be alright, just stay calm."

You took a deep breath and tried to calm down. The mist around you began to fade away and your heart and breathing rhythm slowed a little, though you were still on edge. "I'm stuck," you tried to stand up, but your legs were trapped inside that other monstrous pair of partially formed skinless legs that you'd rather not look at.

"You should be able to pull your legs free," Levi sounded fairly certain of it, as if he had seen something like this before. He managed to escape from under you and took your hands to help you stand. "Pull your legs out."

You tugged at your legs, but you were so freaked out because of the monster legs that came out of nowhere that you couldn't get yourself to pull hard enough. "I can't get free."

Levi looked around to make sure no one had noticed what was going on. You were in a dark tunnel in a secluded alley, so no one had seen anything, or else there would have already been screams. "I'll pull you out," you nodded as Levi got ready to do just that, "hold on." He began to pull you up by the waist, while you placed your arms around his shoulders. He put one foot against the edge of the left leg, which was less fully formed than the right. He pushed it away with his boot while pulling you in the opposite direction and your left leg was freed. The large malformed leg disappeared into thin air in a cloud of mist after it lost contact with your body. 

Levi then repeated the process with the right leg, but you tensed up and the leg reacted, twitching. You gasped and held on to him more tightly on instinct. "Stay still," he ordered with slight impatience, though you could tell he was trying not to sound too harsh.

You tried to calm down and Levi tried again. The unprotected muscle of the large leg was hot and smoked when Levi placed his boot against it, you hoped it was thick. Strangely, you didn't get burned and your clothes were relatively unharmed, though wrinkled and a bit dirty. The red muscle tissue must only be hot on the outside by the looks of it. This was strange, but if the left monster leg disappeared leaving your own leg unharmed, then it was reasonable to think that the same logic bending rules would apply to the right leg. You calmed down a little at the thought and the monster leg relaxed.

Levi gave you a firm tug and managed to pull you free, though he pulled too hard, as you weren't as badly stuck anymore after you made yourself calm down. The momentum carried him backwards and to the floor, with you landing on top of him again. You had pulled your right leg up in an attempt to help in the effort to free you and it ended up crashing against Levi's stomach unexpectedly and knocking the wind out of him. Not that you were doing any better, your breathing was still fast paced from the shocking experience. The right leg disappeared in a cloud of warm mist.

Then they arrived, two males, one female, all in uniform. The trio appeared at the top of the stairs, the young man with green eyes began to call out a friendly greeting, but froze at the sight before him. The blond's jaw dropped in shock and he was unable to speak and there was slight twitch in the dark haired girl's eye. 

Captain Levi and and as of yet unidentified woman were on the floor of a dark tunnel in an alley, flushed from the warmth of the mist that had just finished disappearing right before they came, and somewhat breathless for various reasons. The scout female with the red scarf wrapped an arm around each of her friends' shoulders, placing her hands over their eyes. She turned them around and marched them up the stairs without stopping to look back or comment.

Levi made a very brief comment though: "shit..."

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you wonder what Eren, Mikasa and Armin are thinking right now? XD
> 
> Tutorials: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	3. Chapter 3: Business

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 3: Business

You looked at Levi... he seemed displeased. You didn't wait for him to tell you to get off before you started trying to do so. You weren't exactly steady though, so in the end he had to help you. The two of you stood in a dark tunnel in an alley after having been caught in a situation that could be misinterpreted. You blushed, if anyone from Sina saw the scene and misinterpreted it, the gossip would never end. 

You could imagine the snobs discussing how improper and terrible you were, making out with some scout in a dark tunnel... Except he wasn't some scout, officially he was your husband, but still, the whole dark alley thing would still bring some criticism. You hoped those three could keep their mouths shut. They didn't know you, but they clearly knew Levi. You wondered if they were informed about your marriage.

Levi eyed you carefully, which made you feel self conscious, "what?"

"It all makes sense now," Levi stated in annoyance. "This is the reason why your father arranged this marriage." You wanted to ask him just what your father had done to push him into it, as he was clearly not happy about it, but before that, you took a moment to recall how this whole thing started, when the name of Levi first came up in your life.

(Flashback)

The desk in the corner, the elegant polished wood table, the book shelves in the background, elegantly carved chairs with comfortable cushions, the light of the afternoon streaming through the glass windows, it was the same scene as always. The conversation was the same as always too, you never would have guessed it would take a very surprising turn.

"It actually looks like they're making progress!" You stood in front of the door to your father's study and listened quietly. He was having a meeting with several colleagues that you weren't particularly fond of. Your father didn't like these men either, but they were influential business figures that he had to deal with. The one who just spoke was a plump man with a big grey handlebar mustache and a favorable disposition for gossip of any kind.

The door to the study was only open an inch, just enough for you to peek in. The men were busy with their wine and conversation, so it was easy for you to go unnoticed. "Do you think they'll take back Wall Maria?" A tall skinny man with an obvious comb-over and a monocle over his right eye inquired. They were all wearing suits and had open ledgers on the table, though none were actually looking at them.

"It's possible," the youngest of the four men, counting your father, replied in a snobbish manner. He slightly threw his head back as he spoke, his long nose in the air. "What does it matter though?" He squinted his blue eyes and ran a hand through his pale blond hair in indifference.

"It could matter," your father piped in. His hair and eyes were the same color as yours, save for the gray hairs that had gradually started to appear. None the less, he had aged gracefully. He hardly ever participated in these discussions and it surprised you that he piped in. Normally, his associates would come over to drink and gossip, while your father sat quietly until they were satisfied and announced what a fine host he had been.

"Oh?" Mister long nose stretched out the syllable in a distasteful manner. "How so?" He challenged dismissively.

Your father began speaking politely. "Perhaps I'm being too far sighted here, but if they do take back Wall Maria, the next step would be to explore outside. With that titan shifter, Eren Yeager, on their side, the scouts will gain popularity, especially when they start coming back with supplies from the outside."

A chorus of murmurs erupted and the three other men sounded like a whole room full of people talking at the same time... Or like a coop full of chickens. Finally, the murmurs quieted as big mustache excitedly declared, "suppose they find a mine full of jewels!"

The murmurs began again louder than before. "Well," monocle man started to speak, but long nose was still busily chewing your father's ear off, not realizing he was being ignored. Monocle patted his comb-over in indignation, as if to assure it was in place when he forced the attention in the room to himself. The hair that he did have was dyed black, as it once was, but you were sure that was no longer his natural color. He cleared his throat loudly until nose shut up, giving him a pointed look with his narrow blue eyes. "Well," monocle blinked his beady small brown eyes and began again. "If that does happen, then we must be prepared. Nose rolled his eyes as if to indicate that monocle was stating the obvious.

Mustache nodded, bushy gray eyebrows knitted together over big round green eyes. "We should establish a connection with the scouts just in case," he suggested. "Unfortunately, my two sons and eldest daughter are already married and my two younger daughters are engaged." Mustache had five children, a son, a daughter, another son, then two more daughters. You had met them briefly and were not fond of them. You perceived they had not liked you much either.

You were disgusted at how the men spoke of their sons and daughters as mere tools of business. You were glad your father wasn't like that. Then again, who would want to marry a woman who spent most of her time resting in bed due to poor health? It was the same genetic disease that took your mother's life when you were still a toddler.

"My daughter is not of marrying age," nose reminded. "And my son is even younger." Nose had two children, a seven year old daughter and an infant son. You had never met them.

"Well," monocle gasped. "I certainly cannot engage my only daughter to one of them." He made a disgusted expression. "She is my only child and I would not want a monster for an heir." This girl actually wasn't so bad. She wasn't really your friend, but she wasn't as snobbish as mustache's kids.

"Have her marry my nephew!" Mustache suggested.

Monocle seemed to consider this, "perhaps..." He already had a business partnership with mustache. The new family connection may strengthen it, but it wouldn't bring anything new to the table.

"You'll have a healthy heir that way," mustache laughed. "Most importantly, you'll have a human heir," he laughed again and the other men joined in, though your father's laughter was clearly fake. "Anyway," mustache continued, "I heard the shifter boy has someone keeping an eye on him. That cadet that's rising through the ranks, Mikasa, I think was her name."

"What about your daughter," nose interjected, addressing your father. "She's old enough to marry, isn't she? You do still have a daughter, don't you?" You gritted your teeth and resisted the urge to remind that jerk with your fist that you were indeed still alive.

"My daughter?" Your father made a show of considering it. "Well, I don't know about getting her involved with Yeager... Maybe if it was someone else, for instance, Captain Levi, he has quite a reputation and is in charge of Yeager."

You rolled your eyes and waited for the punch line. Your father would then recall some detail that made it impossible for you to marry this Levi person and the matter would be dropped, then the conversation would be steered away from the topic of your marriage.

Another session of murmurs overtook the room until nose interrupted. "Will he do it?" He made it sound as if marrying you was a most undesirable thing. You certainly didn't want to marry a stranger, but you didn't like being insulted either.

"I'm sure we can arrange something," monocle replied before your father could and mustache agreed with a hearty laugh.

You walked away from the door at that point. You were tired of the stupidity and wished your father would just throw them out. But if he did, he wouldn't be able to afford your expensive medical care. You sighed and returned to your room, you were feeling tired.

Going up the stairs left you out of breath and you were ready to collapse by the time you reached your bed. You fell into the soft mattress and buried your face in the pillow. It took only a second for sleep to overtake you.

xoxox xox xoxox

You woke up in the evening and groggily heard voices just out your door. By the time you woke up enough to understand them, the conversation had stopped and your father knocked on the door. He called your name, announcing, "the doctor is here to see you."

You yawned and sat up on your bed, "come in."

Your father opened the door, followed by a strange man. That wasn't your usual doctor. Without a word the doctor set down his briefcase on the nightstand and pulled out a needle already prepared with a strange liquid inside. You immediately grew uneasy, you hated needles.

Sensing your tension, your father smiled in reassurance. "Don't worry, princess, it will only hurt for a moment and then it'll never hurt again. This will cure you."

You didn't believe it would cure you, though perhaps it would help. You hated feeling weak and felt as if you were sleeping your life away. Sometimes you were so drowsy you felt as if you were floating in a half conscious state, only vaguely aware of the reality around you.

You forced yourself to pull up your sleeve and extend your arm. You closed your eyes and gripped your father's hand with your other hand. The needle stung, a lot, but you managed to bare it in silence. You were once again exhausted though, even if you just woke up from a nap. You allowed yourself to fall back into the pillows and watched the scene unfold through half lidded eyes.

"Not a word," the strange man reminded in a dark tone.

"Never," your father assured as if it was an oath. Then you fell asleep.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will show a little more about Reader-chan's past, then after that it'll be time for Levi and Reader-chan to learn more about what's really going on.
> 
> Tutorials: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	4. Chapter 4: Elixir

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 4: Elixir

(Flashback: Continued)

You slept through the evening, the night and, unknown to you, for several days. You woke up one morning feeling disoriented. You examined the fancy clock on your wall and noted that it read 8:45. It was light out, the sun washed in through the windows of your large room, so that was 8:45 am. You got up, feeling strangely hungry. You never had much of an appetite before. You washed and dressed, then went down stairs.

The walk to the kitchen was very easy. Normally, just going down the stairs would leave you out of breath. You couldn't remember the last time you felt this strong and healthy. You peeked into the kitchen where you found your father talking to the chef. He ate at the smaller table in the kitchen, rather than the large dining room, so he could talk to the staff. "Good morning," you greeted, surprised at your own voice. It rung out clear and strong, it wasn't the sickly whisper you usually produced.

Your father smiled from ear to ear, while the head chef stared in surprise at how lively you were. "Good morning, princess," he looked towards the chef for a moment and requested, "make her a steak, she needs protein now that she's awake." Then he turned his attention back to you, motioning for you to join him at the kitchen table. "How do you feel?"

"Good," you replied, "better than ever, actually." Whatever that medicine was, it was working.

"Excellent," your father cheered, though behind his relief there was something that bothered him. He tried to maintain his smile as he continued. "Since you're feeling better, maybe you can go out."

You blinked and stared, "can I?" You were certainly not opposed to the idea, but you usually ended up so weak and tired the effort to leave the house was hardly worth it. Your father was very protective of you, but he seemed to be very confident about the success of your latest medical treatment. Maybe the change in you really was that obvious.

"Of course dear," your father smiled. "You're a young woman. You should be able to go out, see the city, go on dates..."

You didn't think any men would ask you out, given your physical condition, and even if one did, with how protective your father could be, you didn't expect him to encourage it. You laughed, thinking he was only joking.

"Speaking of dates... There is a young man I want to introduce to you..." Your father approached the topic gently. He paused, watching your perplexed expression. "How are you making the steak, Artie?" He addressed the chef instead.

"Well done, just like the doctor said," the chef replied. You assumed he referred to your usual doctor. The new doctor didn't say much.

"Artie is the only chef I've ever met who can make a well done steak without burning it," your father smiled.

"His food is always very good," though you hardly ate much of it.

"If it's so good, little lady, why don't you eat it all this time?" Artie asked, his brown hair peeking out from under his chef hat, muscular arms crossed over his broad chest in mock indignation.

"Oh, you know..." You laughed, then your stomach growled. It took you by surprise and you shifted in embarrassment.

"Music to my ears!" Artie laughed. "How about I get you started with some bread and orange juice while the steak cooks?"

You nodded eagerly, "yes please!"

Anthony, Artie's young son, ran into the kitchen proudly. "I did it, papa, I set out Fluffy's food and water and she ate!"

"Well done, Tony" Artie smiled. "But aren't you forgetting something?" He motioned towards the table. 

"Good morning Lord (lastname) and Lady (name)," Tony greeted, as his father nodded in approval. The four year old boy had the same blond hair as his mother, Melinda, the constantly inspired family seamstress. His eyes were the same bright green as his father. 

"Good morning Tony," your father greeted, seemingly grateful for the break in the conversation. He had to tell you something, but it wasn't easy for him to say it. He didn't want to force anything on you, but this was the only way he could assure your safety.

"Hey kiddo," you ruffled the little boy's hair. 

" I'm still taking good care of Fluffy for you," Tony proudly informed you.

"Thank you," you smiled, taking a bread biscuit from the table and eating it, "these are so good. Hey Tony, did you try these? Would you like some?"

"No thanks, I was the taste tester," Tony announced, glad that he got to do something around the house, it made him feel grown up. "I ate a bunch, so I'm still full. I think I'll go play fetch with Fluffy so she doesn't get bored. Can you come play with us?"

"I think I can go watch after I eat," you replied. You were usually not even strong enough to throw a stick farther than a child and you certainly didn't have the endurance to run around chasing after an energetic dog. But you were feeling so well today, maybe you could push yourself a little. 

"Okay, we'll be waiting for you," Tony went back outside.

Artie served the steak, it looked delicious. "Thank you," you voiced as you picked up your eating utensils. You tried to eat slowly, like a lady, but it was so delicious you were having a hard time pacing yourself. On the bright side, you didn't feel sick at all. 

"Princess... About that man I wanted to introduce..." Your father tried again. "If you feel that you're taking a liking to him, I will not be opposed to it." You blinked and considered saying something, but your mouth was full and it would be bad manners to speak like that. You observed that your father was nervous. He only got like this when you were feeling stubborn about your ineffective medical treatments in the past and refused to take your medicine. 

"Maybe we should let Melinda talk to her, you know, woman to woman," Artie quietly suggested. So the chef and his wife were in on this too. That only made you more suspicious. Could your father really be planning your marriage? He wouldn't do that to you... Unless he thought he was doing the right thing. 

You were quite sickly, though today you felt miraculously healthy. Maybe he just wanted to make sure you had someone to take care of you, since you were usually asleep most of the time which would render you incapable of learning, let alone running, the family business. Maybe he had found a kind man that you could grow to love. You'd take things slowly and give him a chance. Having finished your meal, you stood up. "I heard that," you announced, even if you knew that Artie had purposely spoken just loud enough for you to hear. "Okay, I'll go talk to Melinda."

xoxox xox xoxox

You headed across the mansion, finding that the walk was very easy. You made your way into the fashion room, the place where Melinda spent most of her time. The place was filled with fabrics and sewing supplies in every imaginable color. Mannequins posed with dresses and suits in various stages of completion. You found the seamstress humming to herself as she worked on a dress, a white dress. You tried not to think about it too much as you made your presence known, "morning, Melinda."

"Oh, hey sleeping beauty, what brings you here? Want to see the progress on your dress? Are you excited?" Melinda bombarded you with cheerful questions about cake flavors, flowers and honey moon spots that you definitely were not ready to answer. Well, at least she was effective in making the situation sink in, the marriage was happening. She stopped, taking in your shocked expression. "Oh, I'm sorry dear, was I supposed to be the one to gently break in the news? No one told me that and I thought you already knew."

You shook your head and Melinda got up from in front of the sewing machine, then sat down at a small sofa, tossing aside the shreds of fabric that were spread about its surface for color comparison. She patted the empty space next to her where you sat down. "Listen sweetie, sometimes you have to take your chances and trust the people around you." Melinda spoke in a motherly tone. Since you didn't remember your biological mother, she was the closest you had, despite being too young to be your mother. She switched from mom to give you careful advice to big sister to give you mischievous advice as needed. Not that you ever had the energy to get into mischief before, but you were still amused listening to her. 

"I don't fully understand what's going on," Melinda admitted. "but I know your father is not like the other merchants. He's only making it look like this is a business deal so that the others won't think it's odd, but no doubt about it, his heart is in the right place," she reassured with a smile. "Maybe he's trying to give you some freedom by getting you an exotic husband from outside of Sina. Just try to picture him, he's a scout, a brave warrior nothing short of legendary with the strength and courage to fight for humanity. I bet he's sweet and super hot," she teased.

You couldn't help it but to laugh, "okay, okay, I'll give this mystery man a chance. Maybe you're right, maybe I will like him. Maybe all I have to do is meet him and I'll know that there's nothing to worry about..."

(End of Flashback)

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will take place in the present time. I wanted to include information about Reader-chan's background but decided to change the order of the chapters so I could get things started with a more attention grabbing chapter that shows a better sample of what this story is about: romance drama and romance comedy, mostly rom com.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	5. Chapter 5: Conflict of Interest

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 5: Conflict of Interest

Your life had been turned upside-down and you didn't know what to think of it. You stood in a dark tunnel in a an alley with a man you've only just met and married less than an hour ago. You were confused after something that was not short of being called super natural had occurred, monstrous limbs materializing out of thin air was just not normal. Yet out of all the things Levi could have said, "it all makes sense now," was not what you expected.

"I don't understand," you stated the obvious, your mind in a whirlwind of confusion.

"Your father was present at Eren Yeager's trial. When you began to show signs of being a titan yourself, he must have known your life was in danger. Because the court allowed Eren to live under my supervision, he decided to put you in the same place. This is what he was talking about when he said all marriages have secrets and those who tell them are to blame. He wasn't just talking about keeping the fact that it's arranged a secret, he expects me to keep your abilities a secret or I'll somehow be blamed for it, as if I made you this way. Then Eren will be dragged into it because he's my responsibility and taking back Maria will be a whole different picture." During his whole explanation, Levi carefully watched you for reactions. "You really had no clue..." he concluded.

"He was protecting me..." It was odd to feel relieved with all the things you just learned, more than half of which you weren't sure you fully understood. Yet you were smiling, "I knew it, I knew my father would never do anything that could hurt me. He didn't want to push me into marriage, he had no choice, he did this to protect me."

"Killing you to prevent you from going on an insane rampage that would kill who knows how many innocents would get me sentenced to, death probably, and Eren will get dragged into it. Even if I don't kill you, if another titan fight happens in the city, the Survey Corps will not come out of it unscratched. That selfish bastard created a difficult situation," Levi glared in anger.

You felt your own temper flare. "Don't you dare insult my father!" You shouted, not caring about who might hear. "He's doing what a good father should do, making sure his daughter is safe!"

"The rest of the world be damned," Levi retorted.

"That's not true!" You yelled, "my father does a lot of good, he helps a lot of people. He's not like the other greedy merchants! What makes you think I'll go on a rampage and kill anyone? I would never hurt an innocent person! Besides, don't you have a way to put this Eren I keep hearing about back in human form? Why can't you -hmp!" 

You were silenced by Levi's hand over your mouth, you didn't even know how he moved to your side so quickly. "This is all to remain in absolute secrecy."

You pushed his hand away, resisting the temptation to bite it in anger. "I'm not stupid," you growled. "I know it'll be troublesome if anyone knows."

"Then that settles it," the additional voice made you jump and turned to look at the other side of the tunnel. Commander Erwin Smith emerged from the darkness, Levi appeared to have been already aware of his presence. "Several high ranking officials have been pushing for the dissolution of the Survey Corps and the execution of Eren Yaeger, using his fight with the female titan to illustrate their points, but only in a way that's convenient to them. Your father has the resources to turn the tide either way. You seem to be peculiarly unaware of your own situation."

"I don't think it's strange," you admitted, challenging Erwin's suspicious look with your certainty. "My father was trying to protect me. I have no doubts in my heart that he was hoping I would never need to hear any of this, but he took precautions anyway. He's always taken care of me..."

"You mean sheltered you," Levi interjected, though he seemed to have calmed down or was trying to appear as indifferent as possible. His scowl was ever present though, you wondered if his face was physically capable of forming other expressions.

Before you could throw out a retort, Erwin interrupted, with a firm and final tone. "For the sake of the continued existence of the Survey Corps and your safety," he gave you a serious look. "All of this is to remain in absolute secrecy." A heavy silent pause floated in the air, during which neither you nor Levi presented any protests. "About the marriage," Erwin continued with the same serious tone that left no room for argument. "It would complicate things if the union's purpose was brought into question. For the sake of simplicity, can you both pretend to be willingly married?"

"I already said I would do what's needed for the scouts," Levi reaffirmed. He certainly wasn't happy about it, but he had gain an atmosphere of composure, not quite resignation, just calm composure and his constant frown.

You noted that Erwin said willingly, not happily or lovingly, just willingly. In other words, you didn't need to like Levi and he didn't need to like you, you just needed to tolerate each other. "I can deal with it too," you agreed. You were sure those two would later find a way to privately discuss all the happenings, and plot something or other, but you didn't care. 

At least now you understood, at least in part, why you were in this difficult situation and what you needed to do. If you learned to control your abilities, if you made it possible so that you were no longer a danger to yourself or others, then this whole charade would be over. You could get a divorce and get on with your life. You just had to learn to control... a titan... The weight of the situation finally hit you beyond the heat of the moment. "I'm a monster..." You whispered before you could give it any real thought, the quiet statement had just slipped out without your brain's permission.

"Only if that's what you choose to be..." Levi began to walk up the stairs of the tunnel. You wanted to retort with a biting remark, but the lack of malice in his statement caught you off guard.

To your further surprise, Erwin nodded in accord, "part of the agreement is that you're not pressured to join the Survey Corps. Even if you join willingly, it might not be interpreted as such at the moment, so that's not an option right now. But when the tensions calm down, you could be a great asset to the Survey Corps and to humanity." You weren't sure what to say to that, so you ended up not saying anything. Even so, it was like Erwin was reading something on your face that screamed amidst your silence, something that spoke volumes that only he could hear... Or maybe, just maybe, even if you yourself didn't know what was there to be seen, perhaps Levi could hear beyond the silence too.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, you get to know your new home...
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	6. Chapter 6: Welcome Home

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 6: Welcome Home

Erwin, Levi and you went on your way with no other titan incidents. Levi stayed nearby to keep an eye on you. It was making you uneasy, but not frightened. You were in a relatively safe position and he was your unwilling bodyguard. Erwin went on ahead, with Levi purposely slowing his pace, not for your benefit, but to allow Erwin to disappear ahead. You and Levi got to a small castle, which he approached. You have never walked so much in your life, but it was nice that you were physically able to do so now, so you didn't complain. You looked at the little castle, it was not what you would call a large mansion, but it was okay. 

"Is this your house?" You had assumed that it was and didn't think you needed any confirmation, but you wanted to end the uncomfortable silence. If you were going to tolerate each other and make a somewhat believable act of a willing marriage, then you would have to get used to at least being able to have a casual conversation every now and then.

"No, we passed my house on the way here," Levi replied. None of the small, or at least small by your standards, residences in Rose had caught your attention. Though this wasn't the poorest sector, the middle class aesthetic was still a sharp contrast to the luxury of Sina. "This is the Survey Corps' base. I spend most of my time here and this is where you will live as well."

"Ok..." You didn't know what else to say. You weren't sure if this new development was good or bad.

The two of you went inside. You followed Levi as he navigated the structure and passed a loud room. You stopped and curiously looked in. There were a lot of tables there occupied by many people eating dinner, wearing identical uniforms. You recognized Erwin and the three scouts from earlier. The girl spotted you and the two boys followed her gaze to the door. 

You stood there, trapped in place by their curious eyes until Levi pulled you away. "With your abilities out of control, you could be a danger to them." You opened your mouth to protest but Levi spoke first, "even if you don't want to hurt them," he cut you off. "Your abilities are different from Eren's. He needs to bleed to transform, as did the female titan. You were not wounded when your legs transformed earlier, or when your hand almost transformed when you were signing the document."

You thought about when you were about to sign the document. You didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, but you weren't paying attention. Still, you didn't want to make him trust you less. You didn't care about his personal opinion, but you were not a dangerous monster and you didn't want to be treated as one, so you didn't comment on the fact that you were too distracted to notice your hand. Thinking back on it, it did kind of hurt, though you had assumed you were simply squeezing the pen too tight. A look of realization crossed your features. "It's not completely random," you concluded, "I can't explain what triggers it, but I can tell when it's happening, it hurts."

Pain seemed to be a reasonable element in the mix. "If you were to transform, you can alert me?"

"Yes," you replied without thinking.

"If you notice it," Levi added. You expected him to be angrier for some reason, but rather than becoming more hostile, the difficult situation seemed to give him something to think about and make him more focused. Maybe it was like Erwin said, maybe you could be useful to humanity and he wanted to encourage that.

"Yeah, but with all the mist everyone will notice." You paused and went over your words. Observing Levi's face you saw no surprise or realization, he must have already considered that angle. "This is the Survey Corps base... they live here too," you realized. It was surprising that so many people could live in a relatively small building, small for a residence anyway. "Are we going to keep this a secret?"

"It will cause unrest if they know and it will be inevitable that the information will reach the public. I'll just have to make sure no accidents happen, I don't want them to get dragged into trouble with the higher ranks at Sina. It might come out eventually, but the situation might be less tense then. For the time being, we'll have to keep this a secret, that's our best strategy at the moment." You mused over Levi's words, at the moment, meaning not necessarily forever. He was right, it was likely to become known eventually.

You weren't sure you ever wanted this to be known. You supposed you could show some interest in the scouts, maybe that will motivate him to be a better mentor in helping you control your titan problem, but that would be using him and he had enough of that as it was. It felt wrong to use him further, to lie to him more than absolutely necessary for self preservation. "You know... My plan, I mean, what will most likely end up happening..." Levi looked at you silently, waiting for you to continue. "I'll learn to control this, suppress it completely, then I'll go home to Sina and... and no one will ever know. We can have a divorce and you'll be rid of me."

"Understandable," he replied. "The scouts are none of your business, I was expecting that you would prefer to return home as soon as it's safe."

"So you don't feel ripped off if I don't stay and help?" You asked, a bit surprised.

"I didn't expect it," Levi's voice held only logical neutrality, but you felt almost offended. It was as if he was saying that he couldn't expect anything from you, because you were that incapable, or unwilling to cooperate. "Your will is not strong enough to be a soldier, you go with the flow too easily and let everyone else arrange your life with no complaints as long as it leads to a comfortable existence."

You could sense a bit more negativity in the elaboration he offered to your curious stare. Your expression turned to anger, but you forced it back into some semblance of neutrality. You wouldn't blow up at him, you wouldn't give him the satisfaction of annoying you. "If it leads to a comfortable existence, why would I resist the flow of life when things are going as well as they can be? If you're talking about the titan thing, I'm determined not to let that ruin my life. I just recovered from my illness and I'm ready to live like a normal person."

"If that's your only goal, to be an ordinary person, it should be easy." As you talked, Levi had led you to a room in the upper floor. 

He stopped in front of a door and you considered your words. "I don't think there's anything wrong with being normal."

"There isn't," Levi agreed, though he didn't think it deserved too much merit either, from what you could observe. He opened the door and showed you the room. "I had originally planned to have you stay here. I can come and go easily from the window and everyone would assume that I'm staying here as well, to keep up appearances." Some of your luggage had been delivered to the room and the suitcases were neatly piled in a corner. "The rest of your excessive luggage is in storage," Levi commented. "These should be enough for you to get by."

You wanted to ask how he would know, though it occurred to you that they must have gone through your luggage. It was both embarrassing and infuriating, even if it was born of distrust rather than pure nosiness. The room was very small, it would take some getting used to. It was very clean and you didn't want to sound like a spoiled brat so you decided to compliment the room on that. "It's very clean," it was an honest compliment at least, since the room was neither luxurious nor in any way impressive. "You must be a very neat person."

"I am, thanks." You weren't expecting him to so readily accept the compliment that you thought was pretty weak, let alone to appreciate it. A knock on the door prevented any further discussion from taking place, as Levi replied, "come in."

Erwin entered the room, "have you two had the chance to talk?"

"Not much," Levi admitted, you had talked, but it wasn't too informative and you were sure he would want to ask you a lot of questions. You made a mental note not to get your father into trouble, he had an oath to keep as far as you knew. "We'll need to come up with new sleeping arrangements."

You didn't think there was anything wrong with the current sleeping arrangements. You would get your own room, which was actually Levi's room, and he would sneak off, letting everyone think that he was sharing the room with you. "I have no complaints with staying here," you pointed out.

"She's a lady of Sina, what can we do?" Erwin inquired.

Levi nodded, "I know, it's annoying, but there isn't much else we can do."

"It's ok, really," you insisted, thinking that they were trying to make you comfortable, though their concerns were much more basic.

Levi gave you a rather detailed look. You felt as if he was looking right through you. "I would prefer to chain her in the cellar, at least at night, but-" 

Your hand flew against his cheek and he caught it before it reached its target. "Pervert!" You growled.

"What?" Levi questioned, as if the accusation had come out of nowhere. 

Erwin laughed, "I think he meant it for safety reasons, so that you wouldn't do anything."

"Me? Why would I want to?!" You threw your hands in the air in exasperation.

Levi, who didn't understand why he was being accused of being a pervert of all things, tried to explain that just because you didn't want to consciously hurt anyone, didn't mean that your titan abilities would obey. "Even if it is not your will, your instinct might cause you to do something you might regret." You attempted to slap him again with the same result as before. How could his reflexes be so fast? Erwin only laughed at the exchange. "I don't see how this is amusing," Levi commented, your hand still in his.

The scouts commander patted you on the shoulder as Levi finally released your hand. "Rest assured, he really has no idea what you're talking about. He's actually talking about your titan abilities. What if you have a nightmare and it triggers them?"

"Oh..." You blushed bright red. "Well... The pain would wake me up, the whole titan thing really hurts. I'll tell you if anything is happening." You moved to the window to look out for the sake of not looking at their faces.

"Wait..." Levi suddenly came to a realization. "That's what you thought? For a lady of Sina you're a bit vulgar."

You pouted and turned to glare at him, "for a scout you sure are slow," it was a weak retort, but it was all you could come up with.

"Anyway, I can't leave you alone in this state, I'll have to stay here." Before you could protest, he added with a certain hint of indignation, "I won't lay a finger on you," as if you were some filthy thing.

You threw your head back and turned back to the window, "like wise." You sniffled quietly. You didn't want to cry, not with anyone present at least. "Can you leave me alone now?"

"No," Levi reminded, "I understand that you don't want to hurt anyone," at least he wasn't bringing that into doubt. "But I can't leave you alone to deal with your titan power."

You hardly felt powerful. "Problem," you corrected. 

"It doesn't have to be... But Eren, Mikasa and Armin will have a problem to deal with after dinner," Levi headed for the door. "Would you mind keeping an eye... keeping our guest company while I talk to them?"

"I don't mind, Erwin agreed. Levi left the room.

You kept your eyes out the window, letting the tears flow down your face. "I hate him," you growled.

"Wait, I thought we concluded that he's not a pervert," Erwin pointed out.

"I know that!" You yelled in embarrassment. "I'm just a burden who could possibly be a resource, not even a person. Why can't I be treated as a person?"

"This is a lot to take in, Levi is trying to plan everything out. He's trying to keep the scouts safe from any accidents. He knows that if he messes up, your father will use his influence to end the Survey Corps and Eren. He has come to care for the scouts, even with all the setbacks we often face. I don't know when I might die, none of us do, but taking the fight to the titans is what's important to us. To fight back and defend humanity," Erwin explained. "We're not going to make any progress hiding behind these walls, our resources are barely enough to maintain the population and the terrain will only become more exhausted and live stock rarer than it already is."

You sniffled, blushing a little, attributing it to the crying. "I guess resources might become scarce in the future."

"They already are," Erwin voiced. "You might not notice it in Sina, but here it's evident."

"That bad?" You questioned with genuine curiosity. 

"It does get bad for some people," Erwin nodded. "This will be a learning experience for you in more ways than one." He patted you on the head to reassured you. You dried your eyes and smiled, just to be polite in thanks for the consolation. 

Though the contents of the conversation were grim when you really thought about it, Erwin's voice was patient, understanding and gentle. Furthermore, he showed some concern for you. It didn't feel wrong or invasive when he patted you on the head. "Thank you for cheering me up, Mr. Smith."

He smiled, "call me Erwin." He paused in thought, then asked, "shall we go see what Levi is up to?"

You would rather stay there and talk to Erwin, he was nice. At the same time you were also curious about what Levi was doing. "Can we?"

"I'm sure he's instructing the cadets right now," Erwin guessed. You recalled that Eren was the one who could turn into a titan. "Maybe it would be good if you see him on the job, then you'll see he's not as bad as you might think. He does care for the scouts, though that must all be put aside for the sake of the greater good." You didn't fully understand what he meant, but since he had suggested it, you felt that you had little choice but to go see Levi. It was ok though, since you were kind of curious.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting to known Levi will be an interesting experience...
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	7. Chapter 7: A Loving Husband

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 7: A Loving Husband

Erwin led you down stairs, casually explaining his purpose along the way. "It's inevitable that you'll have some interaction with the scouts," he explained. "It's also inevitable that the marriage will be known, especially after what Eren, Mikasa and Armin thought they witnessed."

"Speaking of that," you curiously began. "When did you get to the tunnel?"

"I saw Levi run into it with you and went around the other side," Erwin explained. "I saw the partial transformation, but Levi seemed to have things under control, so I didn't interfere." Plus if things did get out of control, a surprise attack would be useful. He didn't say it, but you could easily guess the thought must have crossed his mind. You didn't point it out though.

"So... Um... Eren, Mikasa and Armin..." You repeated their names, committing them to memory. "What do you think they'll do?"

"They didn't see any of the titan manifestations," Erwin further confirmed though that was already known to you. "I believe they assumed you and Levi were..." He paused, as if not wanting to trigger any negative reactions from you.

"Making out," you sighed. The sigh was clearly of exasperation, not desire. 

"Exactly," Erwin agreed. "I understand it must be uncomfortable, but don't forget, you are to be introduced as Levi's wife. The cadets will assume that things happen behind closed doors." You blushed, great, just great, how were you supposed to look at them in the face now? "I guess the blushing bride angle isn't bad for now, but you need to become a better actress, for your protection and theirs. You did say you didn't want to hurt anyone."

"I don't," you insisted. "I'll try not to be too awkward, but I'm not kissing him!"

"That's fine, public displays of affection like that would be a bit out of character for Levi," Erwin assured. You appreciated that he was trying to make you feel better. 

You didn't know if he was trying to manipulate you to his advantage, but then what could he do? You would divorce Levi as soon as you were in control and leave. "I'm leaving, you know, after I'm in control, divorcing and going back to Sina."

"That's too bad," Erwin commented, though he showed no anger. "I suppose it can't be helped, just stay open to the possibility of changing your mind, even if it seems unlikely."

"Ok," you nodded, glad that he was understanding. 

You and Erwin arrived at the mess hall, most of the scouts were gone, their empty plates and used eating utensils still occupying the tables. A few scouts that had taken a little longer to finish eating exited the mess hall, giving Eren, Mikasa and Armin sad looks of compassion. 

Levi was there, giving the trio a disapproving look. "Do you know why I assigned you three to clean the whole mess hall and wash all the dishes for the next week? Eren?"

"No, sir," Eren quietly answered. You looked at him curiously, brown hair, green eyes, totally normal looking, but he could transform into a titan. Then again there was nothing unusual about your appearance either. 

Mikasa remained quiet, though the look on her face made it evident that she thought the punishment was unfair. She was aware of your presence, she had looked towards the entrance when you arrived with Erwin, while the two boys kept their gazes on their feet. The other boy, Armin, had kept his eyes on the floor the whole time, face slightly flushed as if it was too soon for him to look at Levi in the face after what he thought they had stumbled on.

"Are you sure you don't know?" Levi inquired again. "Armin?"

"Sorry sir," Armin choked out.

"Look at me when I speak to you, cadet," you thought Levi was being unnecessarily harsh, though you didn't know what the three had done. Maybe they were trouble makers, though they didn't look like they were. 

"Yes, sir!" Armin looked at Levi, his face red. 

"Now answer the question," Levi stated sternly.

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry, sir," Armin gulped and pushed his words out. "We're being punished because we... We saw... We saw you making out!"

Your face turned tomato red and Erwin shook his head, Levi did not look amused. "Wrong answer!" The captain shouted, which caused Armin to apologize again.

"Try to practice not blushing so much, or at least twitching less." Erwin whispered to you. You finally understood why he was making you witness this. He knew the subject of the make out would come up and it was a good chance for you to practice not being so awkward. If Levi was your husband, it made sense that you had kissed him before. You could be a blushing bride as Erwin had said, but it would look suspicious if you were entirely uncomfortable. 

"I'll try," you took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

"Do you know the answer to my question, Mikasa?" Levi finally asked.

Mikasa considered it for a moment, before smartly replying, "We deviated from the route we were instructed to take and did not purchase the necessary supplies. It was my fault, I take full responsibility, sir."

"Don't you always?" Levi commented. "Your answer was correct, but it's funny that whenever Eren or Armin's chores are not up to my standards it's always your fault somehow? Well then, if it's your fault, you should wash the dishes alone," he concluded. 

You looked at the mess hall, those were a lot of dirty dishes. Mikasa didn't protest, she was displeased, but managed to answer with an unwavering "yes, sir." 

"No!" Eren interrupted. "It was my fault, I saw you running through the streets with a woman. I was the first one to get curious. I was the one who assumed you wouldn't mind if we stopped by to talk to you," he quickly explained. "It was my fault, sir, I'll wash the dishes."

"I share the blame," Armin added. "We only wanted to see if there was anything we could help with. We're sorry we interrupted your date, please forgive us, sir. I'll wash the dishes."

"Fine," Levi agreed, "all three of you will wash the dishes... Or you would wash them if we had sponges," Levi scolded. "Keeping the dishes and eating utensils clean is of the outmost importance, as is cleanness in general. Thankfully, I managed to find some sponges in storage that had not been used for anything. You will use those and as you clean the dishes, think about how awful it would be if you didn't have proper sponges to work with. Now go."

Erwin approached Levi while Eren, Mikasa and Armin got busy piling dirty dishes into their arms to take to the kitchen. "That was harsh," you complained. "Those three can't clean this place up by themselves. It would take fifty maids. The three of them will be up all night."

"Normally, everyone takes their dishes to the kitchen and two or three people wash them. They are different every day of the week so everyone get experience in all the different areas of cleaning," Levi explained. He didn't question Erwin's decision to bring you over. "They don't need the whole evening, let along the night to finish this chore. One more thing... Those new bath sponges that were packed for you, I confiscated them."

Your jaw dropped, the nerve of him! "How am I supposed to wash?"

"Water, soap, and your hands," Levi stated the obvious, making you feel like an idiot. "Do I need to show you how to," he paused and cleared his throat, then made a correction. "Explain, do I need to explain how to do that?"

Your face turned red when you realized what his initial phrasing had sounded like, perhaps more so because he was aware of it and corrected himself. You bit your lip and looked to Erwin, hoping he would say something and push the conversation towards less awkward territory, but he was already walking out of the mess hall. "Sure, I'd love to hear it," you decided sarcasm was sassier than silence.

"Well, you should start by making sure the water is a proper temperature. Hot water works best, but of course, not hot enough to damage your skin," Levi recited as you stared at him. Did he just totally one up your sarcasm by answering to it as if it wasn't sarcasm? "When you remove your clothing you should place it on the hamper, never leave it on the floor. Since you'll be using your hands to wash the rest of your body, you should start by making sure they're clean." You were starting to realize that he wasn't being sarcastic, he was actually lecturing you on how to bathe. Was he some kind of neat freak? "Start by wetting the soap and rubbing it on your hands. The consistency of the foam should be-"

"Wait," you interrupted.

"Do you have any questions?" Levi inquired with a straight face.

"Did you realize that I was being sarcastic?" You couldn't help it but to ask.

"Of course I realized it, but I decided to instruct you anyway. You'll be sleeping on my bed." He made a pause and added in a quiet tone to make sure no one else heard, "which I will not be sleeping on myself."

You blushed, was he going to keep bringing that up? "You didn't need to specify that. Anyway," you eagerly changed the subject. "I still think you were too harsh on those three."

"Do you want to help them?" That was sarcasm, that was very clearly sarcasm, but also a challenge. It wasn't one of those stupid challenges where people said something along the lines of 'prove it' and the other person stupidly did what they wanted for the sake of receiving credit that wasn't worth it. 

This was different, it was your chance to show him you were more than just the spoiled, sheltered girl he thought you were. He expected you to say no, but instead you said "yes," and you gave him a challenging smile. "And since you're such a wonderful husband, you're going to help out too." 

Part of you was sure you had won and the other part was weary of how easily Levi agreed to it. "Very well, I suppose cleaning together is a good bonding activity, and we should keep up the act." The funny part was that he didn't sound sarcastic at all. 

Was cleaning a bonding activity? You didn't know, the maids did all the cleaning, you've never cleaned anything before. You were both confused and curious as you walked alongside Levi towards the kitchen. Eren, Mikasa and Armin had finished transporting the dishes there and were busily washing them. 

The first thing Levi did when he entered the kitchen was pick up the three discarded jackets from the counter. "You need to be neater than this, have you learned nothing?" He folded them and placed them aside, then went to inspect some of the clean dishes, which made the cadets tense up. "Why is no one drying the dishes?" 

The three cadets were in front of a very large sink, their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, hands covered in soap, holding your sponges. "We thought that we should wash them first and let them dry while we washed the rest. Then if they were still wet when we finished, we could finish drying them," Eren tried to explain.

"Unacceptable!" Levi scolded. "That is a lazy shortcut. You need to dry the dishes immediately or they won't shine. Lucky for you, my wife has decided she wants to help and I'll be helping as well."

Armin dropped a glass and it shattered on the floor. "I'm sorry sir!" He quickly went to pick it up, with Mikasa and Eren automatically going on their knees as well to help him.

"Eren, don't pick it up, it's dangerous for you to get any cuts," Levi protested. He was referring to Eren's titan abilities, you realized.

"Oh right, I'm very sorry sir, I'll be more careful," Eren instead went back to washing the dishes.

"Sheesh, do you have to be so stern?" You joined the other two in picking up the glass shards before Levi could stop you. It was an automatic action with no real thought other than good intentions. You didn't realize that you could be at risk of transforming as well. "Ouch!" 

Levi rushed to your side, the worry evidenced by his speed. You instinctually put your finger in your mouth, though Levi pulled it out and examined your hand. He gave you a serious look, "are you alright?"

You blushed because he was staring right at you with his piercing eyes and he was still holding your hand. "Yes, I'm fine." Then your brain finally decided to remind you that you were a titan shifter too, not just Eren. "I'm okay, really."

"Maybe you shouldn't do this," Levi suggested, though it felt, albeit not really sounded, more so like an order.

"I'm fine," you reaffirmed with a somewhat believable smile. You didn't want to be treated like a caged animal. 

"We'll go over there and dry the dishes." Realizing that you weren't going to change your mind, Levi agreed. The complete absence of the titan mist that preceded your past partial transformation reassured his choice, though he still positioned himself between you and the three dish washers, who were giving him curious looks. As a way of explanation, he offered, "I was going to introduce her to everyone tomorrow, but since you already met her, this is (Name), she is my wife and will be living here from now on."

"Nice to meet you," you smiled a bit nervously, though you didn't think it was too suspicious. You were moving to a new place and were meeting your husband's coworkers and friends for the first time. It was ok and even natural to be a little nervous.

"Nice to meet you too, I'm Eren," you had a feeling that he would have shaken your hand if Levi wasn't so firmly planted between you and if his hands weren't covered in soap. "These are my friends, Mikasa and Armin."

Mikasa gave a simple, "hello," that hinted at some level of curiosity, while Armin gave you a shy, "hi, it's nice... meeting you..." He smiled a little shyly, but he seemed to be getting over whatever shock the fact that you were Levi's wife had put him into.

You started to dry a dish, only to have Levi correct you and instruct you on how to properly do it, though he did so as nicely as possible, for appearances' sake, taking your hand and moving it along the dish to demonstrate, though that only made you blush more. you wished you didn't get embarrassed so easily, but you couldn't help it. Because of your past illness, you'd never even done as much as hold hands with a man before. 

You could tell that Eren, Mikasa and Armin were curious about you, but they didn't want to appear nosy in front of Levi. Maybe you could talk to them later, Erwin did mention that you would be interacting with the scouts. you'd have to talk to Levi about it to get your stories straights. If this was a willing marriage, then there had to be an equally willing courtship before it, and it would be odd if your stories didn't match. That conversation might turn out to be uncomfortable, but you knew it had to happen and surely Levi must have thought about it too, so he would likely bring it up soon if you didn't.

Without warning, your stomach growled. "You never got around to eating dinner," Levi recalled.

"Neither did you," you observed.

"I got caught up in the cleaning," Levi admitted, actually sounding like he was enjoying it. He really must be a neat freak. "You should go eat, it's not good for you to be hungry." To anyone else, this and the scene when you cut your finger might appear to be Levi being a caring husband, but you knew he was concerned about anything that might turn you into a monster. The thought did scare you, which was why you decided not to think about it. You would let Levi concern himself with the titan and follow his lead in regards to that issue.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The scouts are starting to form an interesting mental image of you and Levi. Let me know what you think of this story so far.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	8. Chapter 8: Interrogation Conversation

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 8: Interrogation Conversation

After dinner, you finished helping with the dishes and returned to Levi's room, exhausted. Dinner wasn't so bad, the food wasn't as pretty and decorated or as tasty as Artie's, but it was ok. You could hope that tomorrow's menu was better, but for now, you were just hoping that Levi's bed was soft. He went into his room along with you, making it clear that he wasn't about to let you go straight to sleep. "We need to agree on our story."

"Now?" You dropped across the bed, your legs dangling over the edge. "I'm so tired." You moved to lie down properly and let out a little squeak of surprise when Levi grabbed your ankles. 

He pushed your legs back down and scolded, "shoes off."

"Alright, alright!" You removed your shoes and lay down, ankles crossed, hands behind your head. If they wanted you to act comfortable around Levi, then you might as well start practicing. "I'm listening."

Levi sat on a chair, expression serious. "Tell me about your past."

"My past? Ok..." You thought about what you could say, there wasn't much to tell really. "I was sick until recently. I didn't do much except sleep most of the time. At Sina I lived with my father and the staff. My mother passed away when I was a toddler and I don't remember much about her. My father has always been very kind to me. My closest friends other than my father are Melinda, the seamstress, Artie, the chef, their son Tony, one of our younger maids, Mary Anne and Dr. Facio... Oh and I have a pink poodle named Fluffy, but she likes Tony best. I tried to play with her before leaving for Rose and she just barked at me." That had made you a little sad. Though Fluffy had never been too close to you because you didn't have the energy to play with her much, she had never been hostile towards anyone before. "What about you?"

Levi's explanation was more so about the Survey Corps than himself. He told you about the scouts, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Erwin, Hange, who was crazy, or so he said, Sasha, Connie, Jean, Krista and the others. You tried your best to pay attention, but you knew you'd forget more than half the things he said by tomorrow, if not sooner. You would remember Eren, Mikasa and Armin, since you had met them, and of course, Erwin, but the others were still a mystery to you. Levi only gave you basic information and physical descriptions along with a few minor details such as quiet, loud, clumsy with a mop and so on. You didn't really feel particularly informed, but you did feel a little overwhelmed. 

You realized that, thinking back on it, you never really knew the whole mansion staff. You could recognize the familiar faces and know that you had seen them before, but other than the chef, the seamstress and the maid assigned to clean after you, you had little occasion to cross paths with anyone else. On a good day, if you did feel well enough to walk around, you ended up going to Melinda and not really talking to anyone new. 

You had a feeling that Levi knew more about the scouts that he wasn't telling. It was ok though, you'd just get to know them at your own pace and then... Then you'd get a divorce and leave... But nothing was to stop you from maintaining correspondence with the scouts if you made friends. You tried to be optimistic and were so lost in your own thought that you missed Levi's question.

"Are you even listening to me?" Levi woke you from your thoughts.

"Um... What was it?" You gave him an innocent look, there was really no use in pretending you knew what the question had been.

"I asked you to explain what the illness you mentioned was. If it had such a big influence in your life as you make it sound, I should have heard about it before," Levi reasoned.

"I don't know what it was," you admitted. "It killed my mother, it's some genetic failure I guess. Don't worry, it's not contagious and I'm cured anyway." 

"You recovered when your titan abilities manifested?" Levi inquired. You shrugged and didn't voice a reply. "What caused you to change?" You didn't reply. Levi tried to maintain a patient attitude, reminding himself that this wasn't a military interrogation, but a conversation. "From what I understand, you must have become this way to save your life."

"Yes," you nodded, maybe more so to reassure yourself than anything else. "It was all done with good intentions."

"And good intentions aside, simply asking for help from the scouts was out of the question," Levi mused aloud, as if to observe your reaction.

"Well... I guess the communication between Sina and the Survey Corps isn't always the best," you reasoned. "Besides, why would you help? Wouldn't it just be troublesome for you to help me learn to repress this problem and get little in return? I mean, you could be paid, but my father doesn't know you, how can he trust you? He felt that he had no choice but to get something to hold over your head. He won't end the scouts though. I know he won't, he's not a bad person. This doesn't have to be complicated."

"Why involve the scouts at all?" Levi wondered. "Why not just hide you in your mansion and use bribery on the court if your condition ever became public? I'm not a titan shifter expert, I was simply put in charge of Eren because I can kill him if he gets out of control. Controlling his abilities is something that he's learning on his own, you might have been better off in the familiar comfort of your home."

You took in Levi's words. Why were you sent away? Was your father worried that he wouldn't be able to keep you under control? Why didn't he accompany you to Rose? Was he actually afraid of you? How could he be? You would never hurt him or anyone dear to you. "I don't know," the situation was difficult and hurtful. You felt your eyes water again.

"If that not knowing bothers you, then ask about it. Ask for an explanation, even if you don't share it with me, ask for your own sake," Levi suggested. 

You nodded, "ok..." albeit you guessed he wanted to get that information out of you. You also wondered if the explanations would be denied to stop him or Erwin from making you talk. They couldn't harm you, or openly pressure you, but they could gently get you caught up in conversation. There was more than one way to interrogate someone, and you had a feeling that they knew plenty. Even so, everything was so overwhelming you were just about ready to snap. You looked at Levi, then turned your head to stare at the ceiling, his eyes were so piercing you didn't know if you wanted to look more, or look away, so you settled for the latter.

"So..." Levi continued as if this was just a casual conversation between friends. "How did we meet?"

You thought the question was odd. You met when you went to sign the marriage document. But then you realized he was referring to your fake story. "At Sina, I suppose... What might have made you go there?"

"I could be picking up supplies for the Survey Corps, or going over a supply contract," Levi suggested. "Usually, Erwin takes care of that, since he's the commander, but I could have filled in. You could have been present because your father's business alliance sometimes supplies the scouts."

"Right," you nodded, the story sounded believable so far. "Maybe you had to stay in Sina to see to other business and since you had some free time between meetings we talked and looked around." You just hoped they didn't ask for too many details about Sina, you didn't go out much due to your past state of fragility, so you weren't exactly an expert on your home town.

"Then we saw each other whenever I could take a break from the scouts..." Levi mused. "Which wasn't often," he recalled. 

"We wrote to each other and made every moment count," you added. This was sounding like a cute little love story, even if it was a lie. It was kind of fun to invent things like this. "What kind of dates did we go on?"

Levi paused for a moment... "Shopping for cleaning supplies together?"

You laughed, then realized it was an actual suggestion. "That's not very romantic," you admitted. "How about shopping for jewels, jewels are romantic."

"How about just looking around the city? On the subject of jewels, here," Levi pulled a little box out of his pocket and tossed it to you. You failed to catch it and it landed on your stomach. It was a minor annoyance, but the box was small, so it didn't hurt. "That's supposed to be your ring. Don't ask me how I managed to get my hands on a diamond that big."

"It's beautiful," you put the ring on an admired it. You knew this was purchased by your father, for the sake of your fake marriage, but it was still pretty. "Taking a walk around the city and just relaxing sounds like a good date," you agreed, still mesmerized by the large diamond.

"Don't you have a whole collection of other jewels?" Levi asked with some level of annoyance that he seemed to be trying to hold back.

"I guess so, I've never had much occasion to wear them though," you mused.

"They didn't really pack much for you in the way of jewelry," Levi observed. 

"Oh..." You shrugged. "I don't mind. I guess it's better if I don't stand out too much. So..." you continued, "what other dates did we go on?"

Levi shrugged, "where would you have wanted to go?"

"A ball? Balls are always so pretty and exciting in stories!" You smiled dreamily.

"Ever been to one?" Levi inquired.

"No," you admitted.

"Lucky you," he replied.

"How come? Have you been to a ball?" You shifted your position on the bed to rest at your side and look at him.

"Unfortunately yes. Some merchant was trying to get a good reputation by participating on a charity event for people who were still struggling after the loss of Maria. The Survey Corps needed representatives to be there, so Erwin, Hange and I got dragged into it," the memory was clearly not a good one for Levi.

Even if it was evident in his voice that he had not enjoyed the ordeal, you eagerly asked, "was it fun? Was it pretty? Did you have a date? Did you dance? Did you eat cake?"

"No, I don't care, no, against my will and a little," Levi replied.

You went over the order of your questions and his replies in your head. Fun, no, pretty, don't care, dancing, unwillingly, cake, a little. "Tell me about the dance," you smiled widely. The unwilling dances were always the most interesting in stories, because the unwillingness was always a pretence. 

Levi frowned, "I don't see how that's relevant."

"Aw, cmon!" You whined.

"Just some stupid merchants trying to show how kind they are by dancing with the scouts," Levi elaborated.

"I've never danced," you pouted. "I want to try it, at least once in my life." You paused, realizing how silly you sounded. You had more energy now and were awake enough to be sufficiently coordinated, at least in theory. "I guess I can now that I'm healthy. It's funny, thinking of these simple things that I couldn't do before, but now they could become reality." Dancing with your prince charming, going on real dates, your first kiss... "So... um... When was our first kiss?" Levi shrugged, letting you decide for yourself. You thought about it, trying to come up with something exciting. "In the middle of a battle field with titans all around!"

"Did you get that from a novel? It's too unrealistic," Levi pointed out.

"I know, I know," you laughed. "I was just kidding. How about on the rooftop of my home under the stars?" 

"Sounds reasonable. Is there anything else you think they'll ask?" Levi inquired. He wasn't really expecting the story to need to many details other than how you met and a few dates. 

"How did you ask me to marry you?" You hoped his reply was at least a little creative.

He shrugged. "Will you marry me? Like that."

You rolled your eyes, "we went for a walk in the underground city and you asked me there, okay?"

Levi gave you a curious look, but quickly regained a neutral expression. "No one goes there."

"I want to go," you eagerly shared your enthusiasm. "I know most if not all of the urban legends about the underground city are fake, but it'll still be interesting to see the real life place where all those legends were inspired. What do you think it's like down there?"

"I wouldn't know," for some reason, you got the feeling that he was lying, even if it was such an odd detail to lie about. 

"I guess that's it then... Unless you can think of something else?" You yawned, hoping that it really was over. You were very tired from the busy day, but at least you managed to have a civilized conversation with Levi and that somehow felt like a victory.

"Not really..." A knock on the door interrupted Levi from speaking further. He was surprised by it, but quickly went to see who it was. His guess was that it would be Erwin, but instead he found a woman with glasses and a large box in her arms.

"Could you take this? It's heavy!" Without waiting for a reply, she shoved the box into Levi's arms. "Well, it's early so I hope I'm not interrupting anything. That box was left in the basement, good thing I noticed it." You had finished sitting up when she spotted you and rushed over. "Nice to meet you (Name), I'm Hange," she took both your hands in greeting. "Has your husband told you about me? I research titans."

"And the grape vine," Levi added. 

"You were going to introduce her tomorrow anyway," Hange reminded, showing that she was indeed well informed. It's not like Levi had told Eren, Mikasa and Armin that this was supposed to be a secret, and who knew how many people had heard about it before you were even introduced to them. Seeing Levi making out, as they had assumed they did, was irresistible news that begged to be shared. "Are you interested in titan research?" Hange's eyes shone as she asked.

You never really gave it much thought beyond the heroic tales of fiction, but you did have a titan problem of your own. It was supposed to remain a secret, but even ordinary people sometimes got curious about the titans. Yet Levi was shaking his head. Would it really be that suspicious if you showed a moderate amount of interest? "Um... well..."

Hange suddenly looked in Levi's direction. "I saw you," she pouted. "I get it, you think I'm going to chew her ear off with my research. I did stay up all night talking to Eren that one time. I think he very much enjoyed our chat and it was very interesting." She took a few steps towards the door. "I get it, I can take a hint, you want your bride all to yourself. Don't worry (Name) when Levi burns enough energy to bear the thought of sharing your time, we can have a nice long chat about titans. Good thing I brought your books, that should give you some inspiration to tire him out faster," she giggled.

"Get out," Levi growled. Giggling nonstop, Hange retreated out of the room and Levi locked the door behind her. "I should have burned your stupid books. I don't want the scouts getting a hold of them, especially the new recruits."

You curiously examined the box Hange had delivered, confused by her words. "What are these books anyway? And what did she mean by tiring you out?" You picked up one of the books at random and instantly dropped it in realization, as if it was made of fire. "Don't answer," you blushed bright red. "These are not my books," you defended. "These are Melinda's, she used to read them to me because I was bedridden and would probably never have the energy to go on a date, let alone get a husband. I didn't pack them, they're not mine. It's not like I asked her to read them. She's like a big sister to me, she was just trying to... I don't know, make it so I wouldn't entirely miss out on this aspect of life? Please don't tell my father, I don't want to get her into trouble. There's no way he knows she packed these for me." Your face kept turning a deeper shade of red as you recalled listening to Melinda read the explicit romantic novels. Often, Mary Anne would join in to lend an ear. While Melinda tried to paint a pretty picture in your life despite your past limitations, Mary Anne was more frank. "Just so you know, my favorite parts were the action scenes with sword fights and stuff like that."

"What you read in your spare time is none of my business," Levi informed. He indifferently approached the window and used his ODM gear to climb out.

Great, just great, Levi thought you were a pervert. You knew Melinda was trying to cheer you up with this little joke delivery, if it even was a joke on her part. You certainly hoped it was, because there was no reason for you to ever kiss this man, let alone do more. This was only a pretend marriage, even if that fact was to remain a secret.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Winning him over won't be easy, but it will be worth it... 
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	9. Chapter 9: Fear

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 9: Fear

The next day, Levi returned to his room through the window and woke you up. You were started by his presence bent over the bed hovering over you as he shook your shoulder and commented, "you sleep like a rock."

Your face was bright red from the uncalled dreams that had invaded your subconscious. You hoped that he would just assume that it was perfectly normal for a girl to blush upon waking up for no reason what so ever. It was a long shot to hope for such luck, but it was better than taking your chances with a comment of your own, thus you remained silent.

Satisfied with your mostly awake state, Levi headed for the door. "Let's go have breakfast with everyone. I need to introduce you to them officially. Don't take too long to get ready." 

"Good morning to you too," you pouted as he exited the room and closed the door behind him. 

You hurried to get ready, digging through your bags to find something to wear. You missed having Melinda pick out your clothing and leave them in the bathroom for you to change into at whatever time you got up. At least you recalled to toss your clothes into the hamper when you changed, like Levi said, instead of leaving them wherever for Mary Anne to pick up. 

After you felt more or less ready for the day, though still a bit drowsy, you exited the room and found Levi waiting at the door. "What took so long?"

"I had to find my clothes," you truthfully replied. "I didn't finish checking all the suitcases last night."

"You don't have servants here," Levi reminded. "You have to learn to pick up after yourself."

"I did," you defended. "I'm just not a morning person."

The two of you headed to the mess hall quietly. Levi was such an enigma. Part of the time you couldn't stand him, part of the time you were curious about him, part of the time you thought you could be friends and most of the time there was a barrier between you. You decided there and then, that even if it was for nothing, even if you were to go your separate ways in the end, you would solve the enigma that was Levi, if only for curiosity's sake.

You and Levi arrived at the mess hall. The place was filled with all the scouts, noisily chatting as they ate breakfast. Yet the whole room fell silent as Levi entered with you at his side. As you walked beside him, a few soft murmurs emerged from the quietude, but they dissolved just as quickly as they came. It was just enough for you to catch small bits and pieces such as the observation that Levi was slightly late to breakfast this morning. You gathered that he was particularly punctual and people had their theories to explain his lateness, though they dared not discuss them in his presence even as a whisper. You had never felt so many pairs of eyes on you and it was making you very uncomfortable. 

Levi suddenly stopped between two tables in the middle of the room and simply said. "Everyone, this is my wife, (Name), she will be living here from now on." Then he continued walking while everyone continued staring at your blushing face. Levi sat down and you sat down next to him, not knowing what else to do. 

Hange put plates of food in front of you and Levi, using the delivery of food as an excuse to sit across from the two of you. "So (Name), do you think that you'll have time to chat about titan research this evening?" She immediately inquired. 

"Um... I don't know?" You offered shy and quiet.

"I guess I shouldn't expect you to be available in the evenings for a while," Hange mused aloud. You thought you heard a whistle from one of the neighboring tables, but you couldn't pin point the culprit. "How about today? Hey Levi, weren't you going to take a few cadets and clean the yard? Those leaves are really coming down and I know how much you hate them piling up. Can I borrow (Name) while you do that?"

"No, she'll be raking leaves with us," Levi replied.

"Wow, I guess it wasn't an exaggeration," Hange laughed. "I heard you're such a caring husband, fussing about every little detail to please your lovely bride," she teased. 

"It's none of your business," Levi replied coolly.

You looked around while the conversation went on, noticing that the majority of the scouts, save for Erwin and a handful of others, who were still calmly sitting in the same spot, had moved closer to your position and were surrounding you and Levi. 

"Is there a reason for this mutiny?" Levi inquired. You unconsciously scooted closer to him as the scouts formed a tighter circle around the two of you. 

"I hardly call this mutiny, we're showing our support," Hange smiled mischievously. "We need to see it to really believe it, we're still in shock. We didn't even know you had a girlfriend."

You began to recite the false story you and Levi agreed on last night in your head, in preparation to answer any number of curious questions. Yet instead of requesting information, led by Hange, the scouts began to chant, "kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Your face was so hot you were starting to fear it would go up in flames. At least there was no titan mist anywhere. You were frozen in place, completely stiff and embarrassed, wishing that the floor would swallow you up. Then you felt Levi's lips on your cheek, brief and just barely perceptible.

"Satisfied?" Levi glared.

"No!" Hange complained, "we want a real kiss!" The scouts continued to chant, "kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" 

Fed up with the display, Levi stood up and loudly declared, "we will clean every fallen leaf, in all of Rose!"

There was a collective gasp among the scouts and a terrible silence invaded the mess hall. Then something peculiar happened. It started with Armin, it continued with Eren, Mikasa looked at her friends, shrugged and joined in, then the rest of the scouts, Hange included, started doing it too. They were all looking at you, lips puckered, eyes wide, they were like sad kittens begging for mercy. You shifted uncomfortably, put on the spot. "Um... Levi... Aren't you being a little hard on them?"

"You're too soft," Levi calmly replied.

"But there are a lot of fallen leaves in Rose, I mean, it is the fall season, so..." You tried to argue in their behalf.

"Someone has to clean them," Levi stated.

"Not all in the same day," you tried to reason with him.

"Just kiss him," Hange whispered. 

You gulped, unsure of what to do. Your fear of embarrassment evolved into something more. Just as you had when you signed the document and when you were walking with Levi, you feared for your life, not for death, but for discomfort. You feared the hardship that would surround your life if you couldn't learn to deal with this crazy situation. Would you always be embarrassed, awkward and wishing so strongly to run away? You wanted to run away so badly... Then you felt it, a pain on your legs, like the pain on your hand when you wanted to shatter the pen and not sign the marriage document and like the pain on your legs last time you felt the urge to run away. 

It was a response to fear, you realized, a sort of fight or flight instinct, the first time you had wanted to fight the path that had been set before you and the second time you wanted to run away, now again you wished to run. You looked at Levi, getting just close enough to whisper in his ear, "it hurts..." he would know what you meant.

He wrapped his arms around you, not for your protection as it appeared to the observers, but to protect everyone else in the room by restraining you. He peeked under the table and saw the mist, but everyone else was focused on your blushing face. You buried your face on his shoulder and tried to calm down. "I can stop it," you whispered to him. 

"Stop staring," Levi scolded menacingly, "you're making her uncomfortable."

Most of the crowd dispersed with just Hange, you and Levi remaining at that table. You took deep even breaths and peeked over Levi's shoulder. Most people had gone back to eating their breakfast, though they still gave you sideway glances and quietly commented in surprise about how sweet Levi was, being all protective of you. "I think I'm ok," you weren't entirely calm, but calm enough so that the titan mist was gone. 

Levi glared at Hange, who was sitting across from the two of you, her chin resting on her folded hands. She jumped back and scurried off to a different table without another word. Once she was gone, Levi whispered, "did you learn something?"

You nodded, "it's fear," you whispered back. "The mist only happens if I'm scared and want to defend myself or run away."

"Sounds like things you wouldn't be exposed to if you had stayed at Sina," Levi quietly whispered. The scouts probably thought you were telling each other sweet nothings or something.

"Then why... Why was I sent here?" The question weighed heavily on your shoulders. You needed to speak to your father somehow. You needed to know what was really going on. You ate some more breakfast, though the stress had mostly made you lose your appetite and it wasn't as good as Artie's food anyway. "I'm done..." you finally announced. 

Levi got up, leaving the dirty dishes on the table for Eren, Mikasa and Armin to take care of later. He placed his arm around your waist as you walked out of the mess hall. You didn't think he was reassuring you as much as restraining you just in case you turned into a crazy half titan killing machine. You didn't want to think about that now, the only thing that occupied your mind was knowing why your father had truly send you away if he could have kept you safe at Sina. You leaned into Levi and closed your eyes, allowing him to lead you away into a safer location, or the illusion of it.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the pacing of the story isn't too slow. I didn't want to rush through it.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	10. Chapter 10: Friends

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 10: Friends

Since you weren't supposed to leave Rose, you had to communicate with your father by letter. You knew the letter would be intercepted, but yours didn't have anything that Levi didn't already know and your father must have figured out that they would be keeping an eye on your mail. Even if that made him unable to answer, he would at least know about your confusion and maybe send you a sign. You weren't harsh in your letter, just confused. After it was sent, there was little more to do but to wait for the reply to arrive. 

Erwin wouldn't let Levi overtake all of Rose with a cleaning spree, citing something about jurisdiction, so the scouts just focused on keeping the base spotless. You helped out with some chores, but the scouts had become rather fond of you and didn't want you working too hard. They thought the scene where you hid your face and hugged Levi was just too cute. The first month passed by uneventfully. You didn't have any other titan episodes and you were cordially getting along with Levi now that you were teased significantly less, thanks to his deadly glares.

xoxox xox xoxox

It was mid morning and you had gone back to your room after breakfast to write some more letters to send out to Sina. You wanted to catch up with your few friends from back home. Then you heard Levi called from the hallway, "(Name)?"

"Come in!" You responded, at least he had never walked in on you while you were changing. He left at night by the window and didn't return until the morning to wake you up. 

"You've been here for a week without incident," Levi stated. "So I think it's time you take on more responsibilities, such as doing your own laundry."

"Huh?" You blinked, you haven't thought of that before. "Now that you mention it, who has been doing my laundry?"

"I have, and this is the last time I will," Levi walked passed you and into the bathroom while you just stood there open mouth and red faced. 

Embarrassing laundry issues aside, you decided that this was as good a time as any to ask the nagging question that had been floating in the back of your mind. "Levi... Did you have a girlfriend before we got married?" You wondered if you were keeping him from someone he cared about, someone that he couldn't wait to get back to as soon as the divorce was done.

Levi emerged from the bathroom with the hamper and a murderous aura.

"Levi?" you didn't think your question would bother him that much.

"Don't talk to me," he growled in response and gave you a glare that made your blood run cold.

You took his reaction to mean you hit the nail on the head. You felt really bad for him. It wasn't fair that he was married to a stranger, having to leave the woman he loved. You wondered who she was and if she was a scout. You had proven that you had enough control to move around the base on your own, but you were still not supposed to leave the base without Levi as your escort and it was preferable if you didn't leave at all. It was ok though, you could find the information you needed right there at the base.

xoxox xox xoxox

You found Krista on kitchen duty and went to talk to her while she watched over the content of a boiling pot. "Hi Krista."

"(Name), hello, how are you doing?" She smiled kindly and placed the lid on the pot then glanced at the oven.

"Are you all by yourself in kitchen duty?" You asked curiously. Cooking dinner for all the scouts was hardly a one person job.

"Oh no, Jean was here, but he burned his hand and had to go see Hange for some medical help. I told him that I would finish up here. He said he would be back, but maybe Hange occupied him in something else. She was looking for an assistant earlier, but thought Levi would be upset if she asked you," Krista explained. 

"Well, why don't I help you around here then?" You offered.

Krista's eyes widened, "oh, no, I couldn't ask you to do that."

"Why not? Did Levi tell you not to let me?" You asked, annoyed.

"He said we could ask you for help in cleaning if we were delayed in our chores and had a reasonable excuse, like sickness or injury, but that we shouldn't overwork you," Krista admitted. "I think it's sweet of him to be so concerned about making you feel comfortable," she smiled.

You smiled back, just to be nice, but you didn't think her theory was correct. Levi was still a little weary of your level of control and didn't want you to throw a hissy fit. There was no way to know if only a fight or flight response to fear was the trigger or if any sufficiently strong emotion could make you go titan. "I'm offering, so it should be ok. I'm not too experienced though, so just tell me what to do, I want to help."

"Well, if you really want to," Krista considered it, "I have a lot of potatoes to peel and I don't think I can finish them all on time. Just please be very careful not to cut yourself."

"I'll be careful," you assured and joined Krista in peeling potatoes. You were clumsy at it at first, but Krista managed to teach you how to peel them without being too wasteful. When you were both focused on the potatoes and a moment of silence settled in, you decided to ask. "Say, Krista," you began casually. "Do you happen to know if Levi dated someone before me, just out of curiosity."

"I don't think so," Krista's answer sounded honest, but maybe she just didn't know. Levi's reaction to your question would make no sense if there wasn't another woman involved. After the potatoes were done, Krista thanked you for the help and you went off to try to get information out of someone else. 

xoxox xox xoxox

You peeked into the area designated as Hange's lab and found Jean sorting through jars of dust, titan dust, according to Hange's rapid rambling. "Hi, Hange, Jean," you greeted.

"Hey, (Name), did Levi lift the ban on you hanging out with me?" Hange asked hopefully.

You crossed your arms stubbornly, "I don't care, I can hang out with you if I want."

Hange seemed happy about that and immediately invited you to join her and Jean. Jean gave you a look of pity, which filled you with foreboding. "Today's experiment is titan dust tea, is it poisonous?" While Hange went over the details of the study, Jean pleaded with his eyes.

"Um... Maybe it's best to be careful with this kind of thing, what if it makes you, or Jean," you added, noting that Hange probably had no intentions of drinking it herself, "sick?"

"You truly are a kind soul, but we must put our lives on the line for humanity, that is simply a risk we need to take!" Hange courageously declared, except Jean didn't seem to be particularly inspired. "I'm not done making the tea yet, so keep cleaning those jars in the meantime, Jean, I don't want Levi getting on my case about the titan dust jars collecting regular dust."

You joined Jean in cleaning the dust, unsure on how to help him escape his grim fate. "So... Have you two known Levi for long?" You began your quest for information in a casual tone.

"Hange has known him for longer than me," Jean replied, resigning himself to cleaning the jars while eyeing the door. Whenever he twitched slightly as if to make a break for it, Hange would give him a suspicious look and he would again focus on cleaning the jars.

"Just out of curiosity, did Levi date anyone before me?" You made sure to act indifferent, paying more attention to the jars than their reaction, since you didn't want to look too interested. The last thing you needed was for this to sound like an issue, travel through the grapevine and reach Levi. He was already upset enough as it was.

Your casual tone failed though, because Hange stopped her measuring and mixing and instead was staring right at you. "Are you jealous?" 

"Of course not!" You immediately defended.

"Good, because you shouldn't be," Hange returned to her work. "Levi is very focused on the Survey Corps. Although, a while back there was that rumor that Petra had a thing for him, they never dated."

You wondered if Hange's information was accurate. Maybe Levi did date Petra but kept it a secret. He was kind of quiet about himself. "So, they're still friends now?"

"She died on one of our attempts to retake wall Maria," Hange revealed.

You gasped, that was not what you were expecting. "I'm sorry..." You continued quietly cleaning the jars.

The silence was uncomfortable, for you at least, though it seemed pretty normal to the other two, albeit still gloomy. They were used to dealing with this kind of loss, but they nevertheless felt it. Finally, Hange announced, "the tea is ready!"

Jean tensed up and glanced at the door while Hange approached with a predatory look. "Hange..." You searched your brain for an idea to save Jean without displeasing Hange. "Have you considered the effects of titan tea on plants?"

Hange gasped, her eyes alight with interest. "No, I haven't, but that's such a great idea! Titans are more so animals than plants, so I never thought about plants. (Name), you're a genius! I must research this possibility!" Hange ran off with the cup of tea in hand to perform a series of experiments that would be later nicknamed attack on garden.

Jean let out a breath of relief. "Thanks (Name)! I'd hug you, but Levi would kill me." He laughed, happy to have escaped his grim fate.

"You're welcome," you laughed as well, trying not to dwell too much on how the scouts viewed your relationship with Levi. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Next you decided to talk to Erwin. He was high ranked and probably knew Levi for some time. Because of their position at work, they likely had the occasion to talk often, so maybe he knew something. You knocked on the door to his office until he replied, "come in." You entered and he seemed a bit surprised to see you, but not too much. "Have a seat, (Name), how may I help you?"

You sat down quietly, trying to organize your thoughts. You decided against mentioning Petra, if she had passed away on the battle field you didn't want to bring up that sad memory again. Besides, if she wasn't around anymore, then she couldn't be Levi's mystery woman. "I wanted to talk about Levi."

"Alright," Erwin nodded and looked at you expectantly. There was a big pile of paperwork on his desk, but he ignored it in favor of focusing his attention on you, despite clearly being busy. 

"Did he have a girlfriend?" You cut right to the chase, realizing there was really no point in going around in circles.

Erwin laughed as if to dissolve the tension he sensed in you with his relaxed attitude. "Oh no, don't worry about that. You're not keeping him from anyone, though it's considerate of you to mention it."

"Really? But then why did he get mad when I asked?" You pouted in confusion. "Was I just being too nosy? I thought we were on somewhat friendly terms after this past week."

"I can't say why that question would bother him, but I know he's been busy with the Survey Corps, at least for the past few years," Erwin mused. "I can talk to him if you want," he offered.

You were tempted to say yes, Erwin was very nice, he always greeted you with a smile and asked if you needed anything. At first you thought you were caught in the middle of a good cop, bad cop game, but then Levi wasn't exactly playing the bad cop, and why would the man who wasn't your husband be the one to get the good cop role anyway. Part of you was still on guard, wondering what kind of information they were trying to get from you. You were curious to get a reply from your father concerning the reasons why you were engaged to Levi and not kept under protection at Sina, but you were also kind of glad that you didn't know, in case it was something that could bring consequences should it be revealed, though you couldn't imagine how. In the end you decided to decline the offer, "no, it's ok, but thank you for the offer. If I'm going to at least be friends with Levi I should be able to talk to him on my own."

xoxox xox xoxox

That evening, you decided to do just that. Levi was distant during dinner, though he still made an effort to appear normal. The scouts had formed their own version in their heads of what was normal for Levi in husband mode and if he gave you less attention they would stare at him expectantly. Of course they didn't know that less attention was a good thing when the attention was born of distrust.

When you and Levi went back to his room you expected him to go straight to the window, but before you could think of stopping him, he spoke. "I heard you were acting jealous and asking questions about my past relationships."

That was the topic you were planning to discuss, but hearing Levi bring it up so directly caught you off guard. Nonetheless, you decided to push forward with the conversation. "I wanted to know if there was truly someone I was keeping you away from. It's terribly unfair for you to be married to me if you have someone you love. I didn't have a boyfriend, so I didn't think about it too much, but then it occurred to me that maybe you were dating before our marriage was arranged. I'm sorry it took me this long to bring it up, I should have considered your side of the story sooner, I didn't have much of a life before I recovered from my illness, but you did. You got angry at me earlier for mentioning it, but if I'm going to apologize for causing you trouble, I might as well know what I've done." You took in a deep breath after the little speech.

"I wasn't dating anyone," Levi replied, "a lot of people in the Survey Corps prefer not to, since it's not the safest job."

"That's true, but you shouldn't let it hold you back. The possibility of a loss is difficult, but it's better than giving up entirely." You got caught up in expressing your opinion and it took a second for his reply to sink in. "Wait, you didn't have a girlfriend? Then why did you get angry at me when I asked?"

"I wasn't angry about that," Levi clarified. "Did you spill some juice in here?"

"Yes," you confessed. "But I cleaned it up!" How in the world did he notice? As far as you could tell, the night stand was spotless.

"What did you use to clean it up?" Levi asked.

"A handkerchief from..." You blushed, "your drawer." The handkerchief was not the cause of your embarrassment, but rather the fact that Levi had not moved any of his clothes out of the room and you had accidentally come across a drawer full of underwear. It was a childish thing to be embarrassed by, but you had no control over the color of your face. "I'm sorry, I couldn't find any in my luggage and I wanted to stop the mess from spreading. I thought that since you're such a clean person, you must have a handkerchief somewhere. I put it in the hamper after I used it."

"It wasn't a handkerchief," Levi interrupted your apology rambles.

You stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate, but he didn't. Instead he allowed the realization to sink in until it became evident on your face. "Oh... It was a tie, sorry about that." Now you felt embarrassed about not being able to tell the difference, but to be fair, the tie did kind of look like a handkerchief. 

"Never mind, I cleaned it up and your laundry," he pointed to the clean laundry basket in a corner of the room, which he must have placed there at some point during the day. "From now on, I'm only washing my own clothes." 

With that statement made, Levi approached the window, but just as he was going out, you called to him. "Levi, wait!" He paused, looking at you. You doubted yourself for a moment, but you didn't want to keep him waiting, so you steeled your resolved and continued. "Can we be friends?"

He considered your request, you decided that was a good thing, he must have been thinking of an honest answer. If he just wanted to lower your guard to get information out of you, which you didn't have anyway, he would have said yes right away. "It might be possible," Levi finally replied. "I'll give you cleaning lessons." Then he left, using his ODM gear to climb out the window to find a vacant room to sleep in.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally making some progress, it took them ten chapters to be friends, but we're finally getting somewhere. The road ahead won't be easy though.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	11. Chapter 11: Naivete

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 11: Naivete

Things got busy for the scouts, as a new wave of recruits was to come. It had been about a year since Eren, Mikasa, Armin and several others joined, and they were no longer really the new ones. Levi's promised cleaning lessons would still happen, you were sure of it, but for the time being, he was busy helping Erwin prepare everything to try to get some people to join. The truth was not to be sugar coated though, the Survey Corps were dangerous and they wouldn't try to hide that. 

As expected, there weren't many recruits, but at least Erwin and Levi didn't return by themselves. Most of the potential cadets stayed away from the scouts after being scared off by the battle with the female titan. If regular titans were scary, an enemy titan with human intellect was just too much. Erwin returned to the base in the company of only one new recruit, it was not the best year for the scouts, but not the worse.

"(Name)!" The new girl called out to you the second she saw you. You recognized her right away.

"Mary Anne!" You hugged your friend, happy to see her. You took in the appearance of her uniform, "you're a scout?"

"Yup," Mary nodded. "I insisted that I wanted to be a scout and they let me join the training last minute. I managed to pass and here I am. I guess they figured there wouldn't be any scouts this year after the news of the casualties from the female titan mission got around. But that won't happen to me, I have spirit!"

"Maybe a little too much spirit," Levi commented quietly. 

"Cadet Mary Anne," Erwin spoke and Mary Anne immediately saluted.

"Sir!" She stood straight, her fist over her heart, a smile wide on her face, full of life and hope.

"You can take it easy for today and get to know your fellow soldiers, tomorrow you'll participate in the cadets' training and duties," Erwin explained, "you're dismissed."

"Yes, sir!" As soon as she was off duty, Mary Anne turned her attention back to you. "Tell me everything!" She squealed excitedly. The two of you ran off to Levi's room to talk

xoxox xox xoxox

At Levi's, and technically your, room you would have the chance to catch up with Mary Anne without prying eyes and ears. But before you could get to that, you cautioned, "no shoes on the bed, Levi's a neat freak."

Mary giggled and removed her boots before jumping on the bed. The two of you sat there barefoot as if it was a slumber party, though it was a too early to call it that. "So... How was it?"

"Being here isn't so bad," you shrugged. "I'm very confused though. Why did father send me here instead of keeping me at Sina?"

Before replying, Mary Anne insisted, "we can talk about that, but first, please tell me everything, I'm dying to know!"

You could work with that. Though you were dying to know how things were at home yourself, you supposed you could humor Mary's curiosity first. "Everyone is very nice. Hange is a little crazy, but still nice. Eren is a titan shifter, but sometimes it's easy to forget he is. He's entirely normal and easy to get along with. Armin is adorable, he's totally the little brother type you just want to hug and protect. Mikasa is very perceptive, sometimes I think she knows what's going on better than anyone. In fact, sometimes I wonder if she suspects about the arrangement, but everyone else is convinced the marriage is willing. I should tell you our story, it makes sense that you would already know about it and it would be odd if anyone mentions it and you don't know. The story that we decided to tell them about when we were dating is-"

"Don't torture me!" Mary fell back on the bed in a display of over dramatics. "Please, just tell me, is it like in the novels? I need to know! I've been too busy picking up after you to get any, have some mercy and tell me!"

Your jaw dropped and your face turned red as the meaning of her words sunk in. "That's not how it is!" 

"So it's not like in the novels... Well how was it? Give me some details!" Mary sat upright, her eyes and ears in attention, examining your expression and waiting to hang on to your every word.

"I don't know, we're just friends, I've never had a real boyfriend, let alone a lover," you blurted out, face hot.

"Oh," Mary Anne frowned in disappointment. "Well that's too bad. I knew this was arranged, but I thought it would be an arrangement with benefits. I mean, he is a scout, shorter than I imagined, but a scout none the less."

You knew that Mary had a thing for scouts. She loved novels that featured a dashing hero that defeated titans. She especially loved that tale about a titan that climbed over the walls, kidnapped a lady and climbed to the top of a tall tower with the female protagonist in its gigantic hand. The hero had to save her, but of course he somehow ended up with his shirt destroyed in combat, as it often happened in those situations. The author had no shortage of words to describe his well toned arms and clearly defined six pack. Mary assumed that all scouts were just as amazing and invincible. "I don't know, I haven't seen any more than you have."

"What? Not even shirtless?" Mary pouted. "We'll have to fix that. This is your life now."

"Not necessarily," you wondered how much you should say, but then again, she probably had more information than you, after all, she had been at Sina until recently, or so you thought. "I just need to learn to control my titan shifting problem so I don't accidentally go titan, then I can divorce and go home."

Mary gasped, "titan shifting, you?"

"I thought you knew..." You stared at her in confusion. "I've never gone full titan, it only happened once and it was just a partial transformation, it wasn't too big. It was close to happening two other times, but it didn't. I think I can control it, Levi seems to have eased up on keeping watch on me, he used to keep an eye on me practically all the time when I first got here. I think he's almost completely convinced I'm in control and I'm pretty sure I am, so I should get a divorce soon, maybe by next month at the latest. I'll still write to my friends here when I go home and maybe I'll be able to visit too."

Mary remained silent for a long moment, taking it all in. "Well, if you're in control then, that's good, but aren't you going to join the scouts?"

"No, I'm going home," you replied. "I don't think father wants me to join the scouts, though Erwin let me know that their doors are open. I don't know, I guess I'll think about it after I have a chance to talk to father. How is he?" You assumed Mary was sent to take care of you in response to your letter. Your past maid was your father's reply, his way of letting you know that you were loved. "Oh, by the way, since you're doing this whole pretending to be a scout thing, you don't have to pick up after me. Levi sometimes calls me a slob and thinks I need cleaning lessons, but I think I'm improving. Sorry I made you work so hard for me in the past. I didn't mean to make your job difficult."

Mary shifted uncomfortably and gave a little nervous laugh, "don't worry about it, you did spend a lot of time sleeping, so I wasn't too busy. I was only joking about not getting a boyfriend because of my job, I was just being picky, I want a handsome brave scout." 

Mary frowned in contemplation. She has never shown any anger towards you in the past and your apology was sincere. "What's wrong?" You asked with concern.

Mary looked at your left hand and reached out for it, lifting it and examining the ring. "It's all scratched up," she observed.

"Oh," you took off the ring and rubbed it on your sleeve, but it had no effect, it was already clean, just scratched. "I should have taken it off before helping my friends with their chores. It's ok, I'll send it off to be polished."

"Honey, diamonds don't get scratched up like that," Mary pointed out. "It's glass," she sighed, while you stared in confusion. "Haven't you asked yourself why Melinda and I didn't pack a lot of jewelry for you?" You shook your head and Mary continued sadly. "I'm not here on a job, I'm not pretending to be a scout, I am a scout."

Your eyes widened. "But it's dangerous!"

"I know, but I'll be fine," Mary smiled. "Besides, I won't be a scout forever, just until I marry my ideal man, then I'll live in Rose and visit you often."

You sighed, Mary always had dreams of her ideal man sweeping her off her feet and treating her like a queen. You couldn't criticize her when you were being treated like royalty by your father, sheltered and cared for. But a marriage to a dashing scout wasn't an automatic happily ever after of luxury and adventure, yet you weren't sure how to make her understand that, you didn't even know when you had realized it. Something else puzzled you though. "Why did you quit your job? Was it because you wanted a scout boyfriend?"

"Actually I was fired," Mary revealed, much to your shock. "Well, fired is a bit of a strong term. Let's said I was laid off. Sweetie, your father is broke, your jewelry was sold, you can't go home."

There was Mary Anne as frank as always. You stared at her, taking it all in. "Father... No... That can't be... What will happen to him? To Artie, to Melinda, to Tony, to Fluffy, to everyone?"

"To you," Mary Anne reminded. "Well, no worries, darling, just stay married and live here. Your hubby will warm up to you. So what if the scouts aren't as glamorous as in the novels? Levi's cute, in a boyish sort of way, and I bet he's fit from all the training."

"Mary!" You were starting to panic, to fear for the future and the titan mist once again appeared around you. Mary yelped and scooted away, her hand gripping the bed sheets. You noticed and took deep calming breaths. You would figure this out, everything would be alright. Think of a plan, just think of a plan and go with it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The mist disappeared.

"Wow, that was, you were going to... wow!" Mary took deep breaths of her own. If she was scared of a little mist, you couldn't imagine her fighting a titan.

"Listen, Mary, I need you to keep my father's situation a secret and tell me everything you know about it," you requested.

Mary nodded, "I don't know too many details, but there was some kind of investment that failed or something. I think Melinda and Artie knew about it, but they wouldn't tell me. Your father had to let go of the staff and sell almost everything he owned to keep up appearances. The merchants don't know about it yet, they do know about your marriage though and want to see a party. Everything has already been arranged with the last of your father's fortune. You're not supposed to know this, he wants to keep up appearances so you won't worry, but I had to tell you. I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know I became a scout. He recommended me for another maid job so I wouldn't end up on the street, but I hated working for the mustache's bratty son, he tried to flirt with me, the nerve of him, and his wife didn't do a thing. I'm going to get a good husband who would never cheat on me and would cut any man who dares to look at his precious wife in half. Did I mention that I love how scouts dual wield? Swords are sexy."

You sighed, despite being in a way under Mary Anne's care in the past, you felt like she was in your care now. Despite being a working girl, she was very naive. So were you, though in the past month you've heard so many stories with tragic endings from your scout friends that you had to grow up. Mary was the same as you, a sheltered girl. Your father took her in when she was young, thinking it would be good for you to have someone your own age around. She went from a hungry orphan in rags living at Rose's worse sector to a well fed and clothed maid with a secure job, a steady salary, a roof over her head and an employer that made sure she was healthy and received a basic education. She was frank and a little precocious, yet naive, more of a naive dreamer than even you. "Mary... even if you can handle ODM gear, being out there is not going to be easy. Please be careful."

"Sure thing!" Mary assured, though you wondered if she truly understood. "Now on to more urgent matters. Honey, you're not dressed for success, let me pick out your outfits and you'll seduce Levi in no time."

Once again your face felt like it was on fire. "I can't! Besides, I don't think he'll go for it, not that I'd try anything."

"Erwin then?" Mary suggested.

"What?" You gasped.

"A secret affair right before the party, how exciting!" Mary sighed dreamily. "Hey if you won't snag him I will."

"I'd rather not mix things up more than they are," you breathed. You needed time to make sense of everything, so for now you would introduce Mary Anne to your friends and continue to try to make sense of the situation in your mind at the same time.

xoxox xox xoxox

That evening, Levi came by as always, though you were not really planning to go to sleep yet, since Mary wanted to get together with everyone after dark to find a room to huddle up in and tell scary stories. You wanted to talk to Levi that evening though, so you waited for him. "Levi..."

"She's a real scout," Levi half stated and half asked. Her paperwork was done and she took the basic training. She wasn't near the top of her class, but she managed to pass. 

"Yes," you replied. If he hadn't known she was your maid before, he could have easily figured it out by now, since Mary wasn't really quiet about it. None the less, she was keeping your father's economical situation a secret and you were thankful for that. Now it made a little more sense why he married you off to Levi, not for the sake of having him support you, if that was his only aim, he would have married you off to a rich merchant, but rather, he was to be your bodyguard as you had initially thought. The reason why you couldn't be kept safe by bribery if your titan condition was discovered was because he didn't have the funds for it. Yet your control was pretty good, though you weren't trying to develop your power, only suppress it. Maybe your father expected you to have more trouble and took precautions accordingly. How did he go broke anyway? Where was he? Your mind kept going back to his oath of silence and you wondered if there was a connection. Your thoughts had been busy with that the whole day, but now you needed to talk to Levi about Mary Anne. "No..."

"Yes or no? Is she a scout, or is she here to keep an eye on you, or me?" Levi didn't beat around the bush, he didn't even sound tense. His voice was completely calm and casual, as if he knew getting you to talk to him wouldn't be too difficult. You had asked to be his friend and he had agreed that it could be possible.

"She's officially a scout, she's no longer under my father's employment," Levi didn't seem to be aware of your family's economical situation and impending lack of influence. That could complicate things, so you would hold on to that piece of information for the time being. "But she's not a real scout, she's used to novels about invincible scouts and glorified battles where only the minor unimportant characters die. I'm worried that she'll get herself killed."

"There's nothing that we can do if this is the choice she made," Levi stated, he seemed used to it, but not indifferent. 

"I know, I'll try to talk to her though, tell her not to get cocky," you decided. You were going to ask him to take care of her, but you realized that you couldn't do that and it wasn't even necessary.

"There's something more you wanted to say," it wasn't a question, but an observation.

You nodded, "yeah, but I realized it goes without saying." Levi gave you a curious look, so you elaborated. "I was going to ask you to keep an eye on her, but that's impossible out there, you'll have a lot more to think about to get as many of them back safely as you can. Besides, from what I've heard, you already do your best to bring them all back alive as it is. So just... keep doing what you're doing and try your best, ok?"

"Fair enough," Levi nodded, a little surprised that you understood. "Not everyone understands that though, not at first."

"It's hard letting someone go, but at least you can keep their memories," you replied. "It's odd, I got to thinking that way because of my mother, even if I have no real memories of her. My father told me about her and Melinda was her close friend, so in a sense I have a part of her with me. Even if people don't last forever, what they do somehow does..." You closed your eyes in thought recalling the stories your father told you about your mother. You opened them, wondering if Levi was getting bored or thinking you were odd, but he seemed understanding. "I like pirates too, good pirates though."

"Pirates?" Levi inquired.

"There are stories about what goes on in the large bodies of water called oceans. The pirates are outlaws, some bad and some good. Most of them attacked ships to steal from them. My favorite story was about a good pirate, a pirate who defended the other ships and recovered their goods from bandit pirates. Those stories are forbidden, oceans are not to be mentioned in casual conversation. But I believe that one day we will beat all the titans, then we won't need the walls anymore. I used to think I would go to the beach one day, I don't think so anymore, I might not live that long, but everything the Survey Corps do will make that future come closer for humanity or humanity's descendants. Sooner or later, you or your comrades will win, even if it'll be hard. I want to help, I haven't decided what to do in the future exactly, but I want to do something to help." You watched Levi, who had been quietly listening.

"When you first came here I thought you were a spoiled brat," he admitted. "Then I started to see you weren't so bad, so I decided to stop thinking of you as only a burden." You wondered if that decision came along with the one to stop doing your laundry. "Maybe you can make the best of the life you have when things don't go your way. Even when sheltered, a strong spirit might just remain strong." Without any further explanations, Levi jumped out the window. Somehow, you felt as if you were starting to understand him better.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next one brings some light to Reader-chan's backstory, and there will also be some hints of what's to come, like the cleaning lessons and more.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	12. Chapter 12: Helpless

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 12: Helpless

You quietly ventured down the dark hallways, joined by more people as you passed in front of doors. Last time you did this it was... interesting, to say the least. Heading back to your room, or rather Levi's room, was the most 'interesting' part. Now there you were again, ready to pick a dark empty room, form a circle on the floor with nothing but a small flickering candle in the middle and share scary stories with the scouts. Hange loved Mary Anne's idea for entertainment, Armin and Krista not so much. You told yourself that if you got scared all you had to do was think of a certain someone's horse-like scream, which was much more funny than it was alarming. 

Mary had insisted to tell the stories in a different vacant room each time. That way no one would have the familiarity of their own room to lean on and everyone would have to walk back to their respective rooms. You joined the cadets entering a randomly picked vacant room, forming the usual circle with the candle in the middle. Erwin and Levi were not present, but Hange, the 104th trainees, Mary Anne and you had attended each of the nightly reunions. The night was rather stormy, with strong winds and a good amount of rain, it was perfect for ghosts stories. Mary was all too eager to get started and began her tale as soon as everyone was seated. 

"This is the story of a young scout, just like us, and it happened on a stormy night, just like this one." You weren't surprised by Mary Anne's choice of setting. That's how it always started, the victims were always peculiarly similar to the people listening to the story. One of the newer recruits claimed that noises were coming from under her bed. no one gave it any thought, old furniture sometimes made noise. One day, the girl fell ill, but the doctor didn't know what was wrong with her. She gradually worsened until one day she didn't show up at the mess hall or at training." 

"That evening," Mary dramatically continued. "A boy who had a crush on her decided to see how she was doing and bring her a snack. He knocked on the door and she called for him to enter. He did so and saw her sitting on her bed, looking rejuvenated. He was glad to see her in a better state of health, but at the same time there was something that frightened him, but he couldn't tell what it could possibly be. Then she smiled and thanked him for coming to see her, she said in a sweet voice 'if you truly care for me, you'll kill the monster under my bed.' A cold chill ran down his spine, even if he told himself that she must only be kidding. Then he looked under the bed and what did he see?"

Armin was shaking, his eyes open wide. "A mo-m-monster?" He involuntarily inquired.

"Oh no," Mary went on in a dark and creepy tone. "He looked into the darkness under the bed and heard the whisper of a weak voice that was barely alive saying 'run.' What he saw was his beloved, all weak and sickly whispering desperately, 'there's a monster on my bed."

Eren grabbed Mikasa's hand and she blushed. It was funny how he wasn't afraid of titans but spooky stories still made him jump. "Me next!" Hange volunteered, no one offered any arguments, so she continued with her story. "This story is also about scouts much like us. One night a new recruit was heading back to her room after finishing her duties. She had taken a while, as she was still getting used to her chores, cleaning up after dinner, but at least she could sneak off some snacks to take to her room. She got a little lost, since she was still new, and ran into a young man. 'Good evening,' he told her, 'I am the night guard, please allow me to walk you to your room.' She told him her room number and he walked her there. When they were at her door, he said he was hungry, so she gave him the snacks she had brought from the kitchen."

"The next few nights it happened in much the same way," Hange continued. "The girl had learned her way around, but she enjoyed the handsome guard's company, so she looked forward to seeing him every evening when he walked her to her room and every evening she brought him a snack. Eventually, the chores were reassigned and she stopped running into him. Oddly, no one seemed to know him and the other scouts claimed there was no night guard. The girl wanted to see him again, so she ventured out of her room one night and wandered the halls until she found him." 

Everyone had their full attention on Hange as she finished the story. "Good evening,' he greeted her as always, though he seemed a bit tense. 'I haven't had anything to eat since I last saw you. Have you brought a snack for me today?' She was shocked that he had not been eating and didn't understand why. 'I don't have any food with me, but I will get some for you,' the girl offered. 'I'm sorry,' he replied, 'but I can't wait another minute, if you don't have any food for me I'll just have to drink your blood!' 

A wave of gasps and yelps spread through the circle of people sitting on the floor. Armin was shaking like a leaf and Eren was hugging Mikasa, whose face looked like it was on fire. You jumped in surprise as Jean hugged you at the climax of the story. Before the tension could wind down, the window was suddenly thrown open and a gust of wind flew in, bringing with it the cold heavy rain. The candle went out and everyone scrambled to their feet, running around and bumping into each other in the darkness.

"All of you, shut up!" If the voice wasn't already recognizable, the crash of lightning that lit up the room further confirmed the identity of the man who had spoken. 

Finding themselves in the presence of a very pissed off Levi, which was certainly scarier than any ghost, the scouts quickly formed into some semblance of order and saluted with a shaky chorus of "sir!"

"Is this the stupid reason why you fools have been so tired during our training exercises?" Levi shouted harshly. "If you're so full of energy, then why don't we go out and practice with ODM gear right now. This weather is perfect for some good training." No one dared to breathe a word, but you could somehow feel their eyes on you through the darkness. You tried to tell yourself that it was your imagination and remained silent. "I want everyone in ODM gear out in the field in ten minutes!" Gasps of disbelief and groans of apprehension invaded the room, soon to be silence by Levi's very final sounding, "march!"

As the scouts marched out, only you and Levi remained in the room. Thunder crashed and it's suddenness made you jump. "You're not really serious about training in this weather, are you?"

"I am," Levi confirmed. "They need to be ready to spend the night outside of the wall if we go on a longer expedition one day." The mere thought of it sounded insane.

"How would you even spot titans in the middle of the night?" You tried to point out the major flaw in that logic. 

"Titans are less active at night. Some of them will still be moving, but a good number will be basically dormant, so we'll have less visibility, but also less to watch out for," Levi explained. 

"That makes sense, but what if they get injured during their training? They'll catch a cold at the very least, or end up with broken bones at worse," you argued in your friends' behalf.

"(Name)," you watched Levi, while another bolt of lightning crashed in the background illuminating his annoyed expression. He let out a breath and his tone became less severe, though still serious. "They were falling asleep during their training, they could get hurt worse if I don't discourage this neglect of proper rest from continuing."

"I understand," you voiced, a little surprised that he even took the time to explain it to you. It was as if he didn't want you to see him as the bad guy. It would be tough, but you understood that Levi had to make sure the scouts were prepared. 

"Do you mind?" Levi finally inquired after a moment of silence had passed.

"I understand," you repeated. Then in sunk in that he was wearing pajamas, which were a pristine baby blue color, and that he had picked up his uniform, which he had changed out of at some point before the cadets had entered the room where he slept. "Oh... right, I'll leave now." You hurried out of the room so he could change.

You waited in the hallway until Levi emerged wearing his uniform and ODM gear. He didn't seem happy to be back in the uniform he had been wearing that day, but didn't have time to go get another one. Besides, it would get soaked anyway. He had the ODM gear since he had used that to climb out the window of his room. "No cloak?" You curiously asked.

"No time," Levi replied and hurried outside. It wouldn't look good if he was late after telling everyone else they only had ten minutes.

xoxox xox xoxox

Fortunately, there were no broken bones that night. There was some slip ups and the majority of the cadets ended up bruised, but it wasn't too bad. It was ironic, but because Levi was the only one without protection from the cold rain, as everyone else put on their cloaks, he was the only one to catch a cold. As a consequence of his illness, the wedding party was postponed until he was able to speak a full sentence without sneezing. 

Yet the most peculiar thing related to the events of that night was a conversation you later had with Mikasa, the only one who miraculously escaped the night's training without bruises. She admitted to you, in a lonely hallway away from prying eyes and ears, that she had felt a presence in the room when the group entered, but assumed it to be her imagination. The group was seated by the time she realized it was Levi and then she claimed to have gotten distracted, which you assumed meant this was around the time Eren took her hand and she concluded that going with the flow was more important than warning everyone of their impending doom. 

"He knows that everyone keeps an eye on him to see when he goes into his room so they could sneak off to steal snacks from the kitchen, I'm pretty sure he knows all this but lets it pass," Mikasa explained. "Last night didn't make sense though, if he wanted to catch us in the act of staying up too late, why was he in his pajamas? Everyone was too frightened to question it, but I can only think it was a coincidence that we happened to go into the same room he was in. He wasn't waiting for us, he was just trying to get some sleep."

Mikasa looked at you, as if waiting for your input, though you only offered a simple, "oh." You agreed with her conclusions, but you weren't sure why they mattered. Then you recalled why it was necessary for Levi to exit his room via the window. He would be seen otherwise and the word would get around, even if he had no intentions of interfering with the so called secret nightly snacks. Then people would start to question why would a happily married couple not share a room. "Um... well..."

Mikasa's head moved to the side and it was your cue to take note of the footsteps that approached. Mary Anne appeared at the other end of the hall, walking tiredly. Her curly red hair was wilder than usual, amber eyes exhausted. "Hey," the greeting was punctuated with a yawn and you saw in her a way out. 

Mary was surely more creative than you with excuses and she already knew about the arranged marriage, so you didn't need to put up a wall of pretense for her. "Hey, Mary, I was just telling Mikasa why Levi wasn't sleeping in his, my, our," you stumbled over your words, "our room last night." 

Mary yawned again, you weren't sure if it was real or if she was buying some time. finally, very naturally, she replied. "(Name)'s father is very protective of her. He made Levi promise that they wouldn't consummate their marriage until it was officially announced at Sina. So basically they're waiting until after the party. Kissing and cuddling is fine, but it doesn't make it any easier to resist temptation, hence the separate rooms."

Your face was bright red at this point and you wondered if Mikasa was regretting her curiosity. "I see..." Mikasa finally voiced. "That makes sense. Well, excuse me, I need to finish my chores," with that said, she ran off.

"I bet she tells Eren, and I bet Eren tells Armin and by the time that's done, Sasha would have overheard and decide to tell Hange, then once Hange knows, everyone will know," Mary Anne theorized. She had been there for less time than you, but understood most of the scouts pretty well. She was a social creature that was either very friendly or very annoying. "I guess this means you'll have until the party to get used to the idea of sharing a room with your hubby," she grinned.

"Did you just set me up on purpose?" You pouted.

"Honey," she patted you on the head like a child, like Erwin. "Someone has to take care of you when your father can't."

"I don't need a man to take care of me," you argued.

"No, I don't need a man to take care of me," Mary Anne retorted, "I simply want one, but I don't need one. I can get a job and feed myself just fine. I'm not saying this because you're a girl, even if you were a man, the fact would still stand that you wouldn't last a day without people to watch over you. Sweetie, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just trying to ensure your survival. I don't understand the specifics, but your father can't take care of you anymore and someone has to." There was Mary Anne with her brutal honesty again. She cared for you like a sister, you didn't doubt that, but she also saw you as helpless. So did Erwin, you realized, always so polite and gentle, as if fearing for the repercussions of offending such a fragile creature. 

Did Levi see you like that too? Is that why he didn't reprimand you for being a part of the late night ghost stories group, or did he simply let it pass because you weren't a scout? Just when you felt that the two of you had become friends, you were starting to have your doubts. The thought bothered you more than you expected it to and you became determined to never again be seen as helpless, not by anyone, and especially not by Levi.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will focus on Reader-chan and Levi, so they'll be spending the whole chapter together.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	13. Chapter 13: In Sickness and in Health

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 13: In Sickness and in Health

"So that's what happened," you finished telling Levi about the conversation you had with Mikasa and Mary Anne.

"Guess we'll have to share a room after the party," Levi mumbled drowsily. He was in his room, which meant you would be the one looking for a vacant room to sleep in tonight, since it wouldn't be right to tell the miserably sick Levi to move. You assumed he was simply too sick and tired to fully comprehend your words and that he might come up with a better plan when he was over his terrible cold. "You should go before you catch my cold," he warned.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," you assured. "Hange gave me the strongest vitamins she could find to boost my immune system and make sure I didn't catch your cold. She also asked me to write a detailed report describing your misery," you laughed, assuming she was kidding, though she sounded serious.

"She wasn't kidding," Levi clarified, guessing you assumed she was. "But don't humor her."

"Oh..." You blinked. "So... um... Do you need anything? Are you hungry? Thirsty? Cold? Want an extra blanket?"

Levi shook his head miserably, he hated being sick. It was a rare occurrence, but when it did happened it killed him. It wasn't that his cold was worse than anyone else's, but rather he had a harder time dealing with the common symptoms. Coughing and sneezing was especially unpleasant for him. He paused, thinking better of his answer and eyed the nearly empty tissue box on the night stand. "Get me more tissues," he finally requested.

"I'm on it!" You ran off to get another box of tissues from the storage, though instead of just one, you piled as many as you could carry in your arms and took them to Levi's room. You made sure to mention it to Armin when you passed him in the hallway, to let whoever was in charge of supplies know that they would need extra tissues. They already purchased a lot, but Armin assured you he would come up with a convincing argument in favor of a bigger tissue budget.

You returned to Levi's room and delivered the tissue box. Levi looked quite uncomfortable, his face tense, his eyes watery. He extended his hands as if he couldn't wait another second for a tissue. As soon as a tissue box was within his reach he quickly opened it, retrieved a tissue and sneezed into it. He let out a breath of relief. "What took you so long?"

"Don't tell me you were actually holding in a sneeze this whole time because you ran out of tissues? How did you even manage that?" You began to stack the extra tissue boxes neatly before Levi complained about how unorganized they were.

"What was I supposed to do? Sneeze into the air, my hands, or the blanket? That's disgusting," he wrinkled his nose, clearly grossed out by the thought. 

The expression called your attention to his nose, which looked very red. "If you're not more gentle with your nose, it's going to fall off," you teased.

"I wouldn't have to clean it so much if it stayed clean," Levi retorted. He laid down, with the blanket up to his neck. "Take out the trash, slob."

"Hey!" You complained, "I'm not the one who left the trashcan in such an overflowing state. You're the slob... But I suppose I shouldn't be so hard on you giving your condition. Your poor body's crawling with disgusting germs right now."

Levi cringed at your words, "don't remind me," he grumbled and you gave him a victorious grin. 

You proceeded to take out the trash before he complained about it, and put a new bag on the little trashcan. Levi meanwhile stared at the ceiling miserably for a few more minutes before he finally fell asleep. 

It was several hours before he woke up. You were sitting at his bedside reading a book to entertain yourself. It wasn't one of the explicit romance novels Melinda and Mary Anne packed though, you weren't even sure what had happened to them. This was a book about adventures at the sea and pirates. It was a forbidden book, since it took place outside of the walls, and it was considered to be a dangerous temptation to go outside and consequently get killed. 

You put the book down and looked at Levi as he woke up with an annoyed groan and pawed at the cool cloth on his forehead in confusion. "You had a fever," you explained. "Oh and by the way, your pillow needs to be washed because you were drooling like crazy."

"What?" Levi bolted upright, the cloth that was on his forehead falling on his lap. His expression was absolutely horrified, it was hilarious. "You're lying," he realized with a glare. "Stupid brat," he checked his pillow apprehensively. 

"Okay, okay, relax, I was lying, the ever immaculate Levi doesn't drool in his sleep," you laughed.

"I hope you don't either," he grumbled. Once he was satisfied with his pillow's inspection, he laid down again and tossed the cloth at you. "Make it colder, my head hurts." He closed his eyes tightly and remained still.

"I'll go get you an ice bag," you decided. After retrieving the item, you returned to Levi's room with it and place it on his head. his eyes remained closed and he didn't say anything, though the cold seemed to afford him some relief. "It's time for your cold medicine, but you should eat something first. The scouts made some chicken soup for you, do you want me to bring it over?"

"No," Levi groaned, he didn't like eating on his bed but he didn't really want to get up either. He knew he needed some food in his system to get better though. "I'll go to the mess hall," he resolved.

"Are you sure? It's loud and crowded," you pointed out.

Levi gave it a second thought but concluded, "there's no choice."

"I can bring the food here and be extra careful not to spill it," you offered.

Levi considered it, he really didn't want to get up and go to the noisy, crowded mess hall. "Alright," he finally agreed. "Just be careful."

You nodded and went to get his food. you returned with a tray, nearly stumbling at the door, but you managed to regain your balance without spilling anything. "Here you go," the tray was like a miniature table that you placed on his lap as he sat up on the bed, the ice bad precariously balanced on his head.

"That wasn't funny," he scolded with a frown.

"That wasn't a joke," you admitted, relieved that your stumbled didn't result in a fall. "It's going to fall off," you held the ice over his head.

"You don't have to hold it," Levi voiced, though you could tell he needed the relief of the cold feeling on his aching head.

"You can't eat with one hand like that," you replied. He didn't trust himself to be as steady as his should be and held a tissue underneath his spoon to catch any drops that might fall before he could lift it to his mouth, which meant that both his hands would be occupied with the spoon and tissue. "Want me to feed you?" You joked.

Levi rolled his eyes, "as much as I want a chicken soup bath." You laughed and after a pause he inquired, "did you eat?"

"Yeah, Sasha came to get me to make sure I ate," you replied. "Hange offered to sit with you while I was gone so you wouldn't be alone. She seemed disappointed though, something about not being able to make any interesting observations while you were sleeping."

"That idiot can go catch a cold and study her own misery," Levi huffed, though you knew that the scouts were a tightly knit group and they cared for each other's well being. Levi picked up the glass of orange juice then felt a sneeze coming up and quickly put it down, but the sneeze went away as sneezes rarely do and he let out a breath of relief, finally able to drink his juice in peace.

"You're a master at suppressing sneezes," you observed. "And coughs too, I assume. At least you won't strain your throat too much from coughing." 

Levi ate quietly for a few minutes, until he finally inquired, "why are you so set in taking care of me?" It was as if the question had been on the back of his mind the whole time. 

"Because we're friends and friends take care of each other," you replied simply. After some extra thought you added, "I spent a long time bedridden myself, someone always had to take care of me, but I couldn't take care of anyone. For once, I want to be the one offering help instead of getting it."

You waited for Levi to say something, though you weren't sure what you expected him to say. He finished eating and finally replied. "If you want so badly to be helpful, then you can wash the dishes."

You picked up the empty tray, "a thank you would have been nice, Mr. Sick and Germy."

Levi glared at the reminder of his current ill state, "get lost, brat," he took his cold medicine and laid down, adjusting the ice bag on his head while you stuck your tongue out at him. You thought that as you exited the room he muttered a quiet "thanks," but you didn't know if it was real or just your imagination.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one is above suffering the evils of the common cold.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	14. Chapter 14: Secrets

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 14: Secrets

After Levi recovered from his cold, the time finally came for the wedding party to take place. It wasn't a wedding per se, since technically that was thought to have already passed at Rose, though it only consisted of signing the documents. None the less, food, music and fancy clothes were expected. You were transported to Sina in a chariot, it was your first time back home since your life had been turned upside-down by your cure, side-effects and engagement. You haven't had any mishaps as a titan though, so you were feeling confident that nothing would go wrong, at least in that respect. 

Melinda had presented you with your dress, it was a very pretty wedding dress though it felt odd to wear it since you didn't exactly feel like a bride. You had been asking about your father and trying to get information from Melinda, since Mary Anne claimed that she and Artie had their fair share of knowledge about what was going on, but Melinda kept telling you not to worry. "Listen (Name), no matter what happens, know this, you are a very strong person and you will be okay. Levi is there to make your life easier, but even if he's not there for you completely, you'll be okay."

You didn't know how to take her words. At least she wasn't assuming you were helpless, but the question still floated in the back of your mind as to why Levi was even necessary. You had grown fond of him, but that wasn't the point. "Why him? Why anyone? If you think I'm strong, why not assume that I would be able to support myself on my own? My titan abilities are under control, I'm not dangerous."

Melinda showed no surprise at your words, she already knew about the titan aspect. It was odd sitting at your old room like this, in an entirely new situation. This was the mansion you grew up in, though it was devoid of its expensive artworks that used to line the walls and most of the furniture was gone. Only Melinda and Artie remained of the old staff. Tony was there too of course, and Fluffy still remained, though she just barked at you when she saw you. "This isn't about supporting yourself or about your titan abilities. Your ability to transform will disappear completely in time and only regeneration will remain, that is the cure to your illness, it has been tested."

You stared at her in surprise. "Tested? Tested how?"

"It doesn't matter," Melinda shook her head as if she held a dark secret, a burden that she refused to share. "Your father will explain more, now let me finish getting your hair and makeup ready."

You let Melinda finish the preparations without protest. You knew you wouldn't get any more information out of her. Once the preparations were done, she left the room, then your father came. You had a million things you wanted to ask, but all you could really do was hug him.

"My little princess," he spoke gently, soothing away your worries. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this, my daughter."

"Please tell me... Tell me everything!" You insisted.

"Yes, it has all failed and I have no choice," your father finally began the long awaited explanation. "I was hoping that by some miracle I was able to negotiate, but I could not. Years ago, before you were born, your uncle started conducting some research in hopes of saving your mother. He got mixed up with some suspicious individuals and stumbled upon a formula that could turn humans into titans. The mere thought of it was alarming, so he didn't think to offer the serum as it was to his sister, he wanted to save her, not turn her into a monster. I was filled with hopes of saving my wife and funded his research without question. Time had passed and you had been born, your condition was even more severe than your mother's, we would lose both of you if something wasn't done."

You listened unable to breathe a word as your father narrated the tragedy. "Unfortunately, the formula was a failure and your mother could not be saved, the serum only killed her faster. Her brother and I were devastated and for a time we agreed that we would only use known medical treatments on you. None the less, he continued his research and developed a new formula after realizing what went wrong and researching it over and over to make sure he made no mistake. Years had passed by then and you had become a young lady. I had thought that he was only researching normal medicine, nothing titan related, but his research was far more expensive and far more dark than I could ever imagine." 

The tension could be clearly felt as your father continued. "Even if your uncle would hurt innocent people, I know that he would never hurt you, and as unfair as it sounds, because of the hope he gave me to keep you alive, I cannot hate him for what he did. Still, that wrong could not be left as it was, and so I stepped forward to take the blame that I do believe is in part mine. The people whom he negotiated with to obtain your cure might go after you, that is why I placed humanity's strongest soldier by your side." This didn't exactly match up with Melinda's version who claimed Levi wasn't necessary for your survival, yet you didn't think either of them was lying, but rather interpreting the risks of the situation in different ways and coming up with different predictions for the future. 

"Who are they? Those people who know how to turn humans into titans?" You asked urgently.

"I don't know," your father admitted. "Your uncle negotiated with them more often than me, and I don't think even he understands who they really are."

"Who is he? My uncle, I didn't even know I had an uncle," your confusion increased with each piece of information. New answers only led to new questions.

Your father shook his head, "you're a kind girl, but I'm afraid that when it comes to you, I'm a selfish man. My sweet daughter, I love you so much, more than the world itself. I'm sorry I couldn't devote myself only to you, but I cannot abandon innocence entirely." It was as if he was speaking in riddles and he wasn't entirely willing to give you all the pieces to the puzzle. He was protecting you, but from what? How were you safer not knowing rather than knowing? 

A possibility occurred to you. Your father's words rang out in your mind. He said you were kind and he was selfish when it came to you. Maybe he thought that if you understood the situation you would try to do something about it and get hurt in the process. He was trying to stop you from putting yourself at risk. If you were simply told not to do something, you might still do it, so refusing to tell you were the danger was became the best way to keep you away from it. This signified that it wasn't something you could simply stumble upon, if you were to get to the bottom of this, you would have to know exactly what you were looking for. Then you thought about the other part of his statement, that he couldn't abandon innocence. Someone innocent must have gotten hurt in the quest for your cure, that fit with the description of your uncle's actions. 

Your father wanted to bare the blame in your place, to take the guilt you could feel onto himself. As for your uncle, he wouldn't tell you who the mysterious man was. That man would hurt innocents but not you, yet you didn't want that, but if you knew who he was, rather than being quietly saved by the sacrifice of others, you would try to stop him and doom yourself in the process. Knowledge was sacrifice and ignorance was the perceived right to stand idly by with no blood on your hands and no stains on your conscience. It wasn't so simple though, what he said about not letting go of innocence, he wanted to make everything right, he wanted to fix the injustice, but he would do it in way that your suffering wasn't a requirement.

"Father, please, I can help," you insisted. He smiled, "very well, my child." You recognized this tone of voice, he was humoring you, calming you, but not doing what you wanted. "When the time comes, I might need some assistance from Levi, make friends with him, then maybe he won't be opposed to helping out."

You sighed, he was only thinking of Levi as your bodyguard. Was he to become a sacrifice as well? You suddenly found yourself worried for Levi's life. You were frustrated, but you couldn't hate your father. You were like him, clinging to your loved ones more strongly than to humanity itself. Just as he couldn't hate your uncle for protecting you regardless of the cost, you couldn't hate him for giving up everything for your sake. He wasn't a coward though, he wasn't just risking other people, his own life was on the line and that only increased your worries. Mist gathered around you, but your father didn't recoil. He just hugged you and tried to soothe your anxiety. He never saw you as a monster, he never feared you, he only feared for you, and you couldn't hate him for that. Nevertheless, you wouldn't let him bear your burdens alone, the titan mist subsided without incident. When whatever hidden threat was out there came, you would make sure Levi wouldn't get hurt for your sake and somehow, you would find a way to protect your father too.

Though you felt overwhelmed and wanted to cry, you didn't. Your determination was very strong. You would have to talk to Levi later, to warn him, perhaps leave him so that he wouldn't be caught up in this. You weren't sure if being near your father would allow you to protect him somehow or only bring him more troubles. You would think of that later, for now you had to put on a mask of happiness to appease the high ranks. 

You were led amidst your confusion to a carriage that took you away from your childhood home. The mansion would be sold soon, no doubt. This was probably the last time you would be there. The carriage took you to a grand hall where parties for the rich were often held. The place was larger than most mansions in the area and elegantly adorned with marble floors, jeweled chandeliers and elaborate flower arrangements. The large expanse held an open area for dancing, an elegant orchestra playing a waltz in the background and many tables filled with a variety of dishes. 

Your father escorted you there, where you were supposed to meet Levi. Before he could hand you off to your husband, the two of you were surrounded by several couples. Monocle, Mustache, Nose, their children and their spouses were all there. You could hardly tell what they were saying, but it sounded like an overcrowded chicken coop. There used to be one in the yard, Fluffy never gave it a second look, she was too much of a refined pooch to go around chasing chickens. 

Your father, sensing your distress, positioned himself at the center of the circle of snobs. You snuck off behind him, giving a discrete wave that he nodded to and you went off. He wasn't happy with having to put up with those people, but he might as well try to minimize the damage of his social rank's impending downfall, they had to find out eventually, very likely soon. 

You looked around with purpose. If anyone met your eyes, you looked away before they could speak and hurried to head in the opposite direction, sending out the message that you were busy. You wondered if Levi felt as out of place as you. This wasn't what you imagined a ball to be like. Though the setting was pretty, the atmosphere was filled with malicious pretence and hypocrisy. 

Finally, you spotted a man who looked like Levi, then took a moment to look in the opposite direction as if you had not seen him. He looked very handsome, but you tried to tell yourself that he wasn't your real husband, just your pretend husband and that you'd have to let him go soon. You wondered if it would even be ok to just be friends, would that place him in any danger? Maybe it was best not to risk it. 

After more or less managing to collect yourself, you walked across the room. Levi was aware of your presence, he probably knew you had seen him and for a moment pretended not to, but made no mention of it as he met you half across the way. You hurried to close the distance, suddenly impatient for no reason and tripped on your long white dress. The dress was supposed to be worn with tall heals that thankfully Melinda replaced with flats at the last minute, though she didn't have time to modify the dress. Fortunately, Levi caught you, which prevented an embarrassing fall. "Clumsy," he muttered grumpily, quietly enough so that only you could hear.

"Nice to see you too," you considered sticking your tongue out at him, you knew that annoyed him, but you didn't want to cause an outcry with your lack of manners. Yet before you could think of an alternative comeback, your attention was caught by another detail. "Um... Levi..." You looked up at him. "How did you get so tall?"

"Melinda," Levi spoke the one name that said it all. You figure she must have made his suit, as well as your father's and who knows how many more fancy outfits. "These shoes are killing me." You discreetly looked at his shoes. The sole had to be quite thick to make him taller, though the shoes tried their best to hide it, which meant that the space left for his feet was very thin.

"Let's go sit down," you suggested, which Levi certainly didn't protest to. Unfortunately, you were intercepted by a group of snobs that once again spoke at the same time with false compliments and airheaded comments. 

From what little coherency you could gather from the exchange, they expected the two of you to dance. The way to the chairs and tables was barricaded by chatty snobs and you could feel many pairs of eyes on you. Levi was forced to lead you away, doing his best to stretch his patience as far as it would go. The music was slow, the dance was close and it made you blush, it also made you realize that you had no clue what you were doing and you became terrified that you would step on Levi's already pained feet. "What is it?" He whispered, noting your tension.

"I'm trying not to step on you," you confessed, but that wasn't the only thing on your mind. "Also, I found out more about my situation, but I can't tell you here."

"Tonight, when this torture is over, you can tell me," it was as if he wanted to make sure you didn't change your mind about speaking by waiting until the next morning.

"Ok," you agreed and let the uneasiness sit in the back of your mind while you clumsily moved from side to side, more or less trying to stay in tune with the soft music. "I don't know how to dance," you whispered.

"I noticed," Levi whispered back. "I don't think you're supposed to drag your feet like that, but keep doing it, I really don't want you to step on my feet." One thing was for sure, it was going to be a long night.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that this story has a lot of development for Reader-chan's background and the overall plot, but if you really look at it, you'll see that Levi and Reader-chan's relationship is developing too. That will become more prominent in the next few chapters.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	15. Chapter 15: How Scandalous!

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 15: How Scandalous!

After the dance was finally over, you and Levi were allowed past the snob barricade and into the area where the tables were located. You sat down at one of the smaller dining tables away from the buffet of entrees and beverages, and the battalion of waiter and waitresses ready to cater to the rich's demands. The table had been chosen precisely because it was meant to host two people, which should discourage any unwanted snobs from inviting themselves over. Levi look relieved to be sitting down, though the shoes were still uncomfortable. Melinda meant well, you knew, but sometimes she tried a little too hard. 

"Good evening, Lady and Sir, it may be a little late, but please accept my congratulations on your marriage," a formally dressed waiter approached. "May I bring you anything?" The young man was a little on the plump side, though not too much, his blond hair was a pale shade of platinum green eyes always alert and attentive.

Levi was about to dismiss him, but you spoke first "Gustav!" You recognized him as one of the servants that used to work at your mansion. "Thank you, how are you doing?"

The young man smiled, pleased that you recalled his name. Despite not having interacted with him much in the past, he liked that you didn't treat him like most other rich people from Sina. "I'm quite alright, I do miss working for lord (Lastname), but I am quite pleased serving Lady Mona Lisa, I mean, the honorable house of Gardenia."

Mona Lisa was the name of the daughter of the man you called Monocle in the privacy of your mind, others publically called him lord Gardenia. Mona had been named after a painting made at some point before the titans first appeared, it was one of the few artworks of the old world that were still around. You had seen it and knew that Mona didn't look a thing like the woman in the painting. Her black hair seemed incapable of growing past her shoulders, as if her bony frame couldn't afford to give it much in the way of nutrition, despite her notable appetite. Still, though raised to be a snob, Mona wasn't so bad.

"By the way," Gustav had continued while you were lost in your recollections. That life that could be hardly called a life seemed so far away somehow. It was as if you had lived more since you married Levi than in your whole life before that. It had to be because you were wide awake now, you reasoned. Still, part of you thought it was more than only that. "Lady Mona Lisa wanted to speak to you, I hope you will grant her a moment."

"Sure," you agreed, then looked at Levi pleadingly. "Mona was nicer to me than the other established families at Sina," you explained. 

"Go say hi then, I don't mind," Levi replied. There was a certain knowing look in his eyes that you couldn't explain. "I'll talk to you after you're done speaking with Mona Lisa."

You were about to insist that he came along, as you had thought Mona wanted to see you both. Maybe it was just to be seen with the star couple of the evening, but you thought it wouldn't be too much to humor her with that much, better her than one of Mustache's numerous relatives. Yet Gustav's exclamation of "excellent!" took you by surprise. "May I escort you to Lady Mona Lisa?" 

Gustav motioned in the direction you would be headed and you spotted Mona Lisa at another small table a short distance away. You didn't think you needed to be escorted there, but decided not to make a big deal out of it and stood up to follow Gustav.

You greeted Mona and sat at her table. After a few short pleasantries and congratulations, during which Mona was very nervous and uneasy, she got right to the point, while Gustav pretended to tend to other guests while continuously looking over at the table where you and Mona sat. "Miss (Name)," Mona squeaked, sounding like a mouse, in other words, like usual for her. "Oh, miss (Name)!" You could never get her to drop the miss from your name. "I must confess I did something terrible."

"You don't say, miss Mona Lisa." Your sass seemed to be lost on her, but she did look very nervous, so maybe this wasn't something as insignificant as you would normally guess.

Mona looked every which way before leaning across the small table to whisper, "I have fallen in love."

"That's not exactly a crime, Mona," you pointed out, dropping the silly constant miss, that you knew she wouldn't drop. It was odd that she had not complained about not being addressed as Miss Mona Lisa, in the past she would gasp as if offended and remind you to be mindful of formalities. 

"Oh, but miss (Name), I have no betrothed," Mona confessed, so stressed by her condition that she didn't care about how you addressed her. She placed her hand over her heart, just below the oversized ruby hanging from her necklace, that thing looked heavy. As you observed the ruby, more so out of comical curiosity, wondering how she didn't fall over, rather than any real interest in the jewel's value, you noted that her hand wasn't as bony as usual, her face more shapely and less elongated. Given what a skeleton she was before, the change was favorable, though she was still lighter than most girls her height. "I am afraid that due to my normal weight, it will become very noticeable soon."

You rolled your eyes, "love doesn't make people fat," you informed. "Besides, I've seen you eat, you can take it." It came to your attention that she had not ordered any major dishes yet. You had heard stories of how much she ate during social events. "Is that why you're not eating right now?"

"Oh no, miss (Name)," Mona shook her head, the ringlets that framed her features bouncing around her face. "I'm not worried about my weight, I'm worried about my condition. I'm afraid I'll become ill, I will not be able to hide it during the ball, then father will notice and insist that I see a doctor. Then what will become of the Gardenia name? Of Gustav? Of the child?"

"Child?" You repeated and Mona gasped as if frightened by the loudness of your voice. It didn't matter though, if anyone overheard, they would assume you were talking about you and Levi, you were the newlyweds after all. The pieces came together in your mind. Her condition wasn't just love, and it would indeed be obvious on her thin body, she was pregnant. Then your brain made another connection, she had mentioned Gustav, the ever cheerful and polite Gustav was Mona Lisa's lover? You could almost hear Mary Anne in your head, gushing about the forbidden romance between a Lady of Sina and a servant.

"I apologize, miss (Name), please forgive me for telling you this. I'm sure your gentle ears do not which to hear about such improper conduct," Mona Lisa apologized, as if begging for forgiveness for a horrible crime. She didn't apologize for being in love or pregnant, she apologized for telling you. 

You had heard far more... complicated, stories of affairs in fiction, but decided that telling her that wouldn't be much of a consolation. "It's ok." You tried to reason what was going on. If Mona and Gustav were ordinary people this wouldn't be a big deal, but then if they were ordinary people they might have gotten married some time ago.

"Gustav has been asking me to marry him for quite some time now," Mona confessed, confirming your theory. "I wouldn't let him mention it to anyone though, father would kill him. Please, miss (Name), I beg for your discretion."

"Of course," you assured. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." You weren't sure if the part about Gustav being killed was metaphorical or literal, but you didn't ask.

"Thank you, miss (Name)," Mona breathed. "I am happy you agreed to help us reach the good doctor. He assured that he would do his best to have the baby be born healthy." You blinked, what exactly did you agree to? When? "Also, please give your husband my thanks, Gustav told me that he is intimidating but well meaning, don't be angry at him though, I sincerely believe he meant it as a compliment. Oh miss (Name) I knew you would understand, after all, you married a lowly soldier with no fortune, though I heard he might begin to lead a jewel mining operation outside of the walls when Maria is recovered. Is that true? I would like a baby sized tiara to be made if the child is a girl. Her father may be a servant, but he is a kind man with a heart of gold, so I want her to know that regardless of the circumstances of her birth, she is a princess. If it is a boy then make it a princely crown. I think it'll be a girl though, because I had a dream that it was a girl and she was beautiful. Oh miss (Name) I can't wait to talk to the good doctor and hear his opinion on the matter."

Doctors were not dream interpreters, nor did you think any doctor, however knowledgeable, could possibly be able to know the baby's gender at this early stage. You didn't tell her that though and Mona was so full of life and joy that you decided to forgive the lowly soldier comment. You guessed that she meant to make amends with her father at some point, or else she wouldn't be talking about jewels. You still asked, because you didn't understand what your role was in all this. Apparently Gustav spoke with Levi, it must have happened after the two of you arrived at Sina and were swept away to get ready for the ball. Since you had arrived separately, which you did think was a bit unusual, Levi had plenty of time to talk to Gustav. Just what did he agree to? Mona seemed unaware that Levi didn't really have a chance to explain it to you. "What's the plan?"

"After we get to Rose, I'll get in contact with my lawyers and they'll arrange everything. Father will retire, I'll get him a nice mansion to live in and Gustav and I will move to the main house," Mona explained, as if it was all already a matter of fact.

"What if your father doesn't like that idea?" You cautioned, though not in a discouraging way.

"He will simply have to except it. The problem is reaching Rose, but with help from you and your husband that should be easy. Once I'm there the legalities will be processed and the takeover will be complete. Father will go bankrupt and will have no choice but to rely on me or his business partners. I'm sure he'll choose me, so that the Gardenia name will continue. I plan to threaten to change my family name to Valcrez, after my dear Gustav, if he doesn't cooperate, but if things are settled peacefully after the takeover and father accepts Gustav, I will give him the Gardenia name. None the less, until the legalities are done, I am not the owner of the Gardenia fortune," Mona explained.

Your stared, "you've got guts," you mused aloud. She had somehow taken over her father's business all so that he would accept her boyfriend, a bit extreme but gutsy none the less. 

Mona gasped and smoothed her dress. "Is it that obvious? And how rude, referring to my daughter as guts," she frowned.

"No, I meant to say that you're brave," you clarified.

"Oh... such a quaint little expression," Mona twisted her nose in disapproval, "did you learn that from your husband," she was in snob mode.

"Now listen here Mona," you warned. "Do not insult my husband."

Mona gasped and you wondered if you really looked that scary glaring at her. "I just realized I have been calling you miss (Name) during this whole conversation. Should I address you as Lady (Lastname) or Lady Ackerman?" Now she seemed to be in airhead mode. You realized this was her defense to diffuse the tension. At least she was aware that she had done something wrong.

"Just be respectful to Levi, ok?" You finally requested.

"Very well," Mona Lisa agreed. "But please, tell me, how may I address you?"

"(Name), just (Name)," you replied with impatience.

"Very well, (Name)," Mona nodded. "I'm sure you want to return to your husband now, so let me end our conversation by once again thanking you for your assistance and really, do give your hus-" she paused, and made herself rephrase her words, "Mr. Ackerman, please give him my thanks."

That was the first time she referred to him by name rather than as 'your husband.' At least she was making an effort to be respectful and that's what made her 'not so bad.' She could still use some improvement though.

You returned to Levi's table and smiled curiously as you took your seat. "So, what exactly are we supposed to do for them?"

"Escort them out of Sina and to Rose," Levi whispered. "Mona has some documents to sign, which are being processed at Rose for safety reasons. You might recognize her lawyers as the Itadaki brothers."

"Who?" You inquired confused.

"The twins," Levi reminded.

"Oh," the two identical lawyers that were present when you and Levi signed the marriage document. "So we're taking her to them."

"Not directly, we leave tonight after the ball, she'll be staying at Dr. Facio's place at Rose until everything is ready," Levi explained. 

"Facio as in Fredrick Facio?" You asked.

"Yes. he's my neighbor at Rose, though he's usually off in Sina making house calls and spending the night wherever his patients are. Then again, I don't spend much time at my house either. He sometimes drops by after scouting missions to treat the wounded, unless he has pressing business at Sina," Levi explained.

"Oh, I didn't know he did that, he did seemed really nice though. Very gentle and patient," you smiled at the memory of your past doctor. Though he didn't cure you, he did help as much as he could and always treated you with importance, as a person, rather than just another patient. You had explained your past illness to Levi, but you realized that, despite describing the symptoms and mentioning your doctor and how he was as a person, you never really referred to him by name. He was always 'the doctor' and you felt kind of bad for that. You made it a point to call him Fred from now on, like your father did. 

Levi didn't seem surprised that you knew Fred. He probably was already aware that he had been your doctor, as that piece of information wouldn't be difficult to obtain, even if he wasn't Fred's neighbor. "It'll be useful to have a favor to call in from the tyrant," Levi commented.

"Tyrant?" You questioned. It seemed that he knew more about Sina than you did.

"Mona," Levi explained. "She's a ruthless merchant that hides behind her father's shadow. Gustav seems alright though, so maybe he'll be a positive influence. Besides, she'll find a way to take over her father's assets anyway, we might as well get in on it and gain at least some use of her connections. I hate the lot of them, but sometimes you have to deal with difficult people like that."

"Mona's not that bad. She's bratty, but also a tad airheaded, like she doesn't know she's offending people," you tried to explain. Though you got a little angry over the lowly soldier comment, you realized in hindsight that she didn't mean it as an insult to Levi, but as a compliment to you.

"No, she's manipulative. She'll act helplessly snobbish as if she can't help her upbringing, then say something that sounds like she's trying to fight her wrong teachings and be forgiven. She's insulting so that when she says something half decent it'll stand out and you'll believe it. She's using Gustav, but maybe he'll still be a good influence, a connection at the very least," Levi explained in warning.

"She's having his child, Levi, she loves him," you defended. Mona had to care for Gustav, even if she didn't care for anyone else who wasn't rich.

"You trust people too much," Levi criticized. 

You frowned, "you just can't see any good in people from Sina. Mona needs to go a long way to be a truly good person, she's still kind of a snob, but she didn't put me down when I was sick. Everyone else made jokes about me dying at any moment. If you think she's bad, you don't know anything about the bad side of Sina. I used to live here, I know how toxic it can be. I was fortunate enough to have a father who taught me kindness, but not everyone is that lucky."

"We shouldn't talk about this here," Levi discreetly glanced around, Monocle was nearby. You weren't even sure how Levi noticed him, he was much easier to see from your position than his. "We'll have to agree to disagree for now."

"Fine," you pouted.

"Smile," you blinked at Levi's sudden order and stared as he forced a very obviously fake smile onto his face. You became once again hyper aware that you were being watched, but you couldn't help it but to laugh. Levi mouthed a silent 'what?'

After your fit of giggles was under control, you explained. "You're not good at fake smiling. I might have to tickle you one day to make you smile for real."

"Don't even consider it," Levi warned, though the tension of your earlier disagreement about Mona was mostly gone as quickly as it came. "C'mon, maybe another dance will give them enough of a show to stop staring at us for a while, the looks have increased in attention."

You got up and linked arms with him, heading off to the dance floor. The song was a slow waltz at first, then the tune unexpectedly changed. You glanced at the orchestra, a few snobs were gathered around the conductor and they wanted a show. "You were right, they were pushing us to dance. I have a bad feeling about this." The music got faster and called for more movement in the dance. "Levi, I don't know how to tango."

"Just focus on not tripping on your dress or stepping on my," he bit his lip in pain, "feet," he muttered under his breath.

"Sorry!" You whispered back. It was dizzying, it was confusing, it was stressful, this wasn't what a dance was supposed to be like according to the fairytales. Then you realized it, this wasn't a dance, it was a show you and Levi were forced to perform. Maybe one day you'd be able to dance with him for real...

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, drama! :o We'll have some fun action packed chapters next. There are still people reading this, right?
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	16. Chapter 16: Ride Like the Wind

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 16: Ride Like the Wind

The ball was a blur of stiff dances and hypocritical congratulations, though at least the food was good and there was cake. After it was all finally over, a carriage took you and Levi back to your house. A very tired Artie, who had cooked the majority of the banquet, was driving. Levi looked very uncomfortable and you knew he couldn't wait to take off his shoes. 

As you had been getting into the carriage, you tripped, though you were fortunately caught by Levi. Before you began a new battle with your long dress to climb on the carriage, Melinda ran to your aid, completely ignoring Levi's murderous glare, the shoes of doom were her creation after all. You weren't sure what Melinda did, but she somehow detached the outer layer of the skirt and you suddenly found yourself in the knee length, much more manageable skirt that was under the longer one the whole time.

Upon arriving at your house, you hopped off the carriage, ready to call it a night, though you recalled you had a lot of explanations to give Levi and a couple to transport. Levi had said 'we' when explaining the plan, which meant you were expected to tag along, instead of catching up the next day. Levi took a moment to exit the carriage as if every step hurt. "Want a piggy back ride?" You offered as a joke.

"No, I do not want a piggyback ride," Levi replied grumpily. 

Artie stepped in protectively, "the little lady offered you a kindness," he scolded Levi. "Don't complain and show some gratitude." Without warning, the tall muscular chef lifted Levi and placed him on your back. You stumbled a little at the sudden weight, but managed to regain your balance while Levi responded with a few impolite adjectives. Artie ignored the insults and offered, "would you prefer if I carried you both?" He inquired as he held the door to the mansion's main entrance open.

"No, no," you assured, "I got him," you moved forward, feeling quite silly, yet at the same time amused, and realized that in an odd playful way, Artie was trying to cheer you up. Though it wasn't the most comfortable position in the world, you still found it inexplicably enjoyable.

You made it past the once elegant, now empty, large living room and to the base of the stairs, looking at them as if they were a hungry titan. "I can go up on my own," Levi hopped off your back and painfully made it up the stairs.

"What? Can't accept a little help from me?" You teased.

"Is this supposed to be an advance payment for the cleaning lessons I offered to give you?" He shot back. "With your pitiful level of skill, you'll have to do a lot more to pay me back, slob."

"At least I'm better at walking." You proceeded to very easily lead the way to your room, where you assumed the both of you were expected to stay. Even if Levi went to a different room later, at least you could talk there without interruptions. Upon entering your room, you found some luggage that you recognized as Levi's. "I never got around to ask what you packed, that's a lot of stuff to bring on such a short trip."

Levi made a beeline for the bed and sat down to relieve his aching feet before replying. "Those are Hange's titan experimentation tools that she wants me to try to get your father to make more of and donate them to her research. She wouldn't leave me alone until I agreed to bring them. Clearly, she overestimated our connections. Your father is broke after all."

"It's that obvious..." It had to be known eventually and the fact that you were taken back to your house, or what once was your father's mansion, hinted that he knew there was no point in hiding it. "I guess that explains why I wasn't hidden away behind a wall of bribes," you laughed humorlessly.

"Your titan symptoms are manageable, is there another danger I'm supposed to protect you from?" Levi went right to the point, while he worked on removing his shoes. Yet before you could reply he stopped and stood up, then walked past you towards the closet. you were about to question his sudden odd curiosity for seeing what was in there, but the way he walked with such purpose and alertness, the pain of the shoes ignored, made you remain silent. The door to the walk-in closet was only open an inch, he threw it open and immediately jumped back, dodging the knife wielded by the masked man in black. You screamed, but just as quickly as the attack occurred, the danger had passed, as the mystery assassin was knocked out by a single punch to the face by a very irate Levi. "Such as that?"

"I don't know..." You admitted. You knew your father would be out late with his business partners who still didn't know how broke he was, and Melinda was staying late cleaning up after the party. You weren't sure where Tony was, but you hoped he was safe with a babysitter somewhere. You, Levi and Artie were the only people in the mansion. "I need to warn Artie."

"Little lady!" The aforementioned chef called loudly as he rushed up the stairs. His suit jacket was off, his shirt pressed against his bulging muscles as he breathed heavily in alarm. "Are you alright?" You looked you over for any sign of injury. "I found an intruder."

"So did I," Levi pointed at the unconscious man on the floor. He removed the coverings from his face to reveal unfamiliar features. "Anyone you know?"

"Yes," Artie replied. "This one, and the one that's on the kitchen floor are part of lord Gardenia's private security team."

"The escort," you gasped.

"Mr. Ackerman!" A man called from the front door. "Mr. Ackerman, we must go now!" You rushed to the window and saw Gustav pounding on the front door. A carriage with two horses was parked in front of the mansion, you guessed Mona Lisa was inside.

"What escort?" Artie questioned.

"There's no time," Levi began to put on his ODM gear, which he had in his luggage in case of an emergency. 

"I demand an explanation!" Artie shouted in alarm.

"Levi's escorting Mona Lisa to Rose where she's going to take over her father's fortune so she can be with her lover," you summarized.

"The tyrant has a lover?" Artie sounded surprised.

"Mona's not that bad!" You defended. 

"She's manipulative," Artie argued. "We only allowed her to talk to you because she was nicer than the others and we thought her nature didn't matter because we wouldn't let her use you in any way. Besides, you were always so happy when someone other than your father, Melinda, Tony and I was actually civil to you. It's like you were reassured in thinking that the world outside of your family didn't automatically hate you."

"Why does everyone keep saying that about Mona?" You pouted as you interrupted the chef, then you were subsequently interrupted from defending Mona any further.

"We're leaving," Levi was wearing his ODM gear and a backpack full of Hange's experimental tools. He didn't have time to change out of his suit, having only removed the jacket for convenience's sake. You didn't even have time to protest before Levi picked you up and jumped out the window, using his ODM gear to land safely.

"You better get her to Rose without a scratch!" Artie yelled from the window above. He wasn't planning to stop Levi, you realized. But why? 

The situation with Mona was dangerous and Artie wouldn't let you rush into danger like that. Levi wanted to get to the bottom of everything and your presence might still be useful in dealing with Mona, so he had reasons to bring you along, but why would Artie allow that? Then you realized it, whatever danger you were heading into on your way to Rose, it wasn't as bad as what lurked in Sina. You hated being in the dark and guessing at what was really going on.

You and Levi rushed into the carriage, you went inside with Mona, Levi jumped on the roof after handing off the backpack to you, watching out for any attackers, and Gustav was at the driver's seat. The carriage took off at breakneck speed and you watched as your childhood home became a small dot in the distance beyond the dark road you left behind. You knew it in your heart that you would not be returning to the residence you grew up in ever again, but most of all, you knew your father, and possibly Artie, Melinda and even Tony were in danger, even if you didn't know the details of it.

Mona smiled at your arrival, despite how the carriage bounced around as it moved forward. "I'm so glad you're here, (Name). I'm sure you'll inspire your h-Mr. Ackerman to do his very best as an escort." Perhaps Mona had insisted that you tagged along for that purpose.

"I'm sure everything will be fi-" The carriage shook and you dared to look outside. Men dressed all in black like ninja were swinging around from the buildings on ODM gear. A few people screamed from their windows, but the ninja moved forward too quickly for anyone to interfere with the chase. Levi didn't let them get too close to the carriage though, fighting them off with his twin swords. His speed and precision were amazing. You couldn't stop looking up to see the blades of Levi's swords appear from the edge of the carriage's roof to counter one enemy attack after another.

"Get your head back inside, idiot!" Levi scolded. You squeaked and quickly pulled yourself inside the carriage. 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love to see Levi fighting with a bunch of ninja in ODM gear. Who's with me?
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	17. Chapter 17: Levi vs. Ninja

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 17: Levi vs. Ninja

The carriage continued rocketing forward as fast as the well bred pair of horses could pull it. You smiled nervously at Mona, who sat across from you, gripping the armrest to maintain her balance. You could hear the crash of weapons on the roof and Gustav's voice urging the horses to run faster. You wanted to see what was going on, but you didn't want to get your head chopped off as a consequence of your curiosity. 

You looked over Mona's shoulder at the window in the front of the carriage where you could see Gustav sitting, driving the horses through twists and turns on the road and little known alleys that were a tight fit for the carriage despite it being light and small. Then you saw it, from every direction, ninjas were gathering in front of the carriage's path. They could see it from the tall rooftops, you realized, and the ODM gear made them able to fly faster than the horses could run, it was inevitable, the ninja couldn't be outrun.

"Gustav!" Levi shouted over the noise of hooves on the road and blades colliding against blades. "Take us to an open area!" If the carriage was boxed in, it would be over, Levi could only parry so many attacks at once and didn't have much room to move around in. 

Gustav urged the horses out of the narrow passage and into the larger main road. The ninja followed quickly. "There's too many of them!" Gustav shouted in alarm.

"(Name)!" You were surprised when Levi called out to you. You had not been hazardously leaning out to see the fight this time. "See if you can find something useful in the backpack, there are some guns of some kind in there."

"Right!" You answered back and quickly began to dig through the backpack. You ended up spilling a good portion of its contents on the floor of the carriage, but found something that looked gun-shaped. The item had a water bottle attached to the top. You peeked out the window carefully and sprayed the water on an attacking ninja. The speed at which the liquid was shot out was far greater than any water gun and judging by the steam produced and the ninja's scream, the water was boiling. Unfortunately you didn't have a refill, so you were back to digging around the odd assortment of tools, just what kind of experiments did Hange do anyway? You weren't sure you even wanted to know.

You grabbed another similarly shaped gun, but instead of a water bottle on top, it had a metal can that must have been rather thick because the contraption felt heavy. You held it with both hands and cautiously aimed out the window again. Levi was blocking the attacks coming from the front, so you kept an eye on the back and spotted the glint of twin swords as a ninja swung towards Levi from the back, while two others attacked from the front. You aimed as best you could and fired. A strange green liquid was blasted out from the gun and caught the ninja on the arm. The ninja screamed in agony, weapons abandoned and ripped off the black sleeve as the scent of burning flesh invaded your senses. You really didn't want to know what kind of experiments Hange was involved in.

You continued using the acid gun, trying not to empty it too quickly. Eventually it ran out and you went to search for something else to use. A hook hit the carriage's side and one of the seemingly endless numerous ninja, daringly tried to board the carriage. Levi cut the rope, disabling half of the ODM gear and causing the ninja to be unable to recover in time and suffer a nasty fall. The impact however, was enough to push the carriage to the side as it turned a corner. One of the horses lost its footing and the carriage looked like it was about to topple. 

Gustav tried to stop the other panicked horse from continuing the run, pulling hard on the reins, which caused the animal to kick at the carriage behind it and finish sending it sideways. Mona screamed and shielded herself with her arms, though she was far enough from the pile of items on the floor of the carriage not to get any serious injuries. You felt something stab you in the stomach, but it wasn't too deep so you pulled it out. Then a device shaped like big metal jaws triggered and trapped your leg. You screamed and tried to get it off. You managed to open it, but the damage to your leg was considerable. Mist began to form around you, but you forced yourself to calm down. You couldn't transform now, what if you couldn't control it? You weren't even meant to be a titan shifter, the mist was very thin now, probably signifying the expected progression of your condition. What if you only did another partial transformation and ended up with an oversize useless malformed limb that slowed you down far more than it helped? It was too risky, you had to calm down.

"(Name) cover me, we have to move!" Levi called from outside. You snapped to attention. Levi was terribly outnumbered, you had to watch his back as best you could. You scrambled to grab anything that may serve as a weapon, the darkness of the night not at all helpful in your task. You managed to find another gun shaped item and pulled yourself to the window. Levi hooked one side of his ODM gear to the carriage and the other to a building on the side of the street. He used the gear to pull the carriage upright and once again took his place on the roof. At the same time you shot the random gun shaped weapon, the first one you managed to grab. A thick gray smoke spread around the area. "Go!" Levi shouted as the carriage was pulled upright.

Gustav urged the horses to move forward once again, speeding up as much as they could, though not as much as before, since one of them appeared to be injured. Most of the contents of the backpack had fallen out the carriage windows. You searched for another cartridge to put into the gun. It was similar to a flare, but produced an effect like a smoke bomb, so maybe you could use it to throw the ninja off your trail if you shot it at the right moment. 

"(Name), do you have more smoke bombs?" Levi asked.

"I found a few in different colors!" You replied, one was black, another white and another red, though the red and white would draw attention more than anything else. You couldn't find any more blacks, aside from the one and there were no other grays either. "Only one is black!"

"Save it!" Levi replied. You did and began to scan the carriage floor for anything else that you could use to help. You could hear Levi turning in every direction stopping the ninja and spinning around like a deadly tornado. You had no doubts that he really was humanity's strongest soldier. After the spin attack that knocked a few ninja into each other, leaving them with injuries that would make handling ODM gear very difficult, Levi gave Gustav some directions.

"But that leads to a dead end," you heard Gustav protest.

"Do it!" Levi commanded with finality and you knew no one would dare to defy him. 

"(Name) get ready!" Levi called out.

"Ready!" You answered, prepared to shoot out the black smoke bomb. 

The carriage turned down a narrow alley then broke down, losing one of its wheels on the side that one of the horses had kicked it earlier. "We're close, keep moving on foot!" Levi ordered.

Everyone abandoned the carriage and horses to follow after Levi. "Don't lose track of each other," Levi hurried towards a tunnel. A terrified Mona grabbed Levi's and Gustav's hands, you were inevitably stuck in the rear, since you had to cover the escape. You grabbed Gustav's hand, to make sure you didn't become separated from the group in the darkness, with Levi leading the escape. "Now!"

You shot the black smoke behind you as Levi turned left, right, and turned corners running through dark unfamiliar tunnels that he felt oddly confident about traversing. "This place is like a maze!" Mona complained in alarm.

"I know the way, now shut up if you don't want to give him any clues," Levi snapped.

Mona let out an undignified "hmph," but didn't speak further. 

It felt like you were going deeper and deeper underground and it was pitch black. The light from outside you left behind could not reach this far into the tunnels. "We're going up, hold on to me," Levi announced. You tried to do so, at the same time as Mona and Gustav, hoping that Levi's ODM gear could lift the four of you. The hooks were shot up and the ropes pulled you along until your feet could no longer feel the ground, higher and higher.

"Stop choking me," Levi complained in the darkness.

"I'm trying not to fall!" Mona Lisa countered.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, you reached the surface. "Follow me and stick to the shadows." You, Mona and Gustav obediently followed Levi through narrow streets and dark alleys until the realization sunk in that you were no longer in Sina. Somehow you had passed below the wall and were now in the innermost area of Rose. That wouldn't stop the ninja from pursuing you if they found you though, so it was vital not to be spotted. 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was lots of fun to write, I hope everyone enjoyed it too.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	18. Chapter 18: Honeymoon

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 18: Honeymoon

Levi led you, Mona and Gustav through the city. In a dark alley, a hooded figure waited with three horses. As you followed Levi closer to the mysterious person, you recognized him as Erwin. "Erwin? You're in on this?"

"Sometimes you have to bend the rules," Erwin replied. "Good thing I decided to come early." Looking back on it, you realized you didn't see him at the party, though you were fairly certain he was invited. He must have spoken to Levi before you arrived at the ball and arranged to meet him here. You ended up ditching the carriage early and taking a detour, but in the end, Levi managed to lead the group to the meeting spot. "I see you wore the red cloak like I asked, and you were seen in it?"

"Yes," Mona Lisa replied. You had assumed she was wearing it to protect herself from the cold of the night, despite its color screaming 'target.' 

"Let's switch quickly," Erwin urged.

Mona Lisa took off her red cloak and put on a green cloak with a rose emblem. It would be odd for the Military Police to patrol Rose, as their territory was Sina, though peculiarly none of them showed up during the chase, probably due to bribery from Monocle. Rose was the Garrison's jurisdiction and Erwin intended to make Mona and Gustav look like ordinary soldiers on patrol. With both of them wearing hooded rose adorned cloaks that left their faces hidden in shadows, they mounted two of the horses. Erwin put on a Garrison cloak as well and rode the third horse. 

Levi refueled his ODM gear but made no effort to hide his identity, though he looked like he wished he had asked Erwin to bring him a pair of boots, as he wasn't expecting to still be wearing the uncomfortable shoes from the ball. Erwin's comment about being early confirmed that Levi expected to be at your house for a while longer with enough time to talk and prepare. "(Name), keep your face covered and don't fall off." Levi handed you Mona's red cloak.

It sunk in that you were to become Mona's decoy. You put on the cloak, trusting in whatever plan Levi had, though you did have one question. "Don't fall off what?" All the horses were occupied and it would slow them down and make them suspicious if any of them was seen carrying two passengers. 

"It's my turn to give you a piggyback ride," Levi explained. "I'll need my hands to fight, so I won't be able to hold on to you. Just make sure you don't fall," he glared over at Mona as he added, "and don't choke me." Mona frowned but refused to acknowledge the complaint any further.

"Ok," you covered yourself with the cloak as much as possible and climbed onto Levi's back. 

The horses galloped off with Erwin leading the way, slowly at first, then gradually faster. After giving them a moment to get away, Levi activated his ODM gear and moved through a different route, vaguely in the direction of the scouts base. Mona would be staying with Dr. Facio, so they would be fairly close to the base, but the ninja were made to think that Mona was being taken to the scouts base. After they realized they were tricked, it was logical to think they would guess that Mona was hidden somewhere far away and wouldn't think to look for her in any of the houses nearby. 

Levi took off into the air and it didn't take long for the ninja to spot him and give chase, though at least by now their numbers had been reduced and they were hurt and tired. Three ninja attacked from different directions, "hold on." Levi spun in the air, reaching out with his two swords, stopping the enemy swords and injuring them. He managed to hit one of the ninja ODM gear ropes as he spun, but the ninja recovered and moved on the attack again with just one usable hook. Levi cut the remaining rope and kicked the ninja hard, sending the black clad fighter flying into the window of a two story shop. It was closed at that hour of the night, but the owner would arrive the next morning to the nasty surprise of a broken window. Perhaps it would be assumed it was a rock rather than a ninja that broke it.

The chase went on through the city until the ninja continued to lessen their attacks. Finally, everything was quiet as the chase stopped though Levi warned, "there's at least one that's still following us." He purposely took a long route to get to the scouts base giving Erwin as much time as he could, allowing the ninja to believe that you were Mona Lisa. 

The whole time you held onto Levi, careful not to fall off or have your face become uncovered. After the attacks ceased, the tension lessened for you. The red cloak kept you warm, so the cold air of the night wasn't really much of a bother. Levi moved with precision and you wondered how he knew when to shoot the next hook and at what. He minimized the damage to the structures as much as possible and didn't hit any windows, effortlessly moving as if guided by instinct. It really felt like flying.

Levi finally landed in front of the Survey Corps base. You thought you would be relieved when you got there, but it felt too soon. The sun had began to emerge from the horizon, though it wasn't yet visible beyond the walls. None the less, the dark sky had began to lighten and you could see the world coming to life with color instead of being shrouded completely with the shades of gray of the night. 

You gasped, taking a moment to examine Levi. "You're hurt!"

Levi sheathed is swords and looked down at his stained clothes. "It's not mine." He tried to brush off some of the blood stains, though he knew full well that wouldn't really help. "They were fairly shallow cuts, it would be troublesome if dead ninja were found. It was just enough to make them retreat. It's still disgusting though, I don't know how you managed to hold on."

"I thought you were just sweaty from all the exercise," you replied, though you hadn't been exactly clean yourself.

"You can take off the cloak now," Levi reminded. "Let the ninja that followed us know it was for nothing. I'm sure Erwin's part of the plan is done."

You removed the red cloak and let your face be seen. You looked around for any signs of a ninja, but couldn't precise where the spy could be. "The ninja?"

"Just left," Levi assured.

"Oh," you had completely missed that. 

"Looks like I got blood all over you, is there that much on my back?" Levi looked at the front of your once white dress. 

"Actually, most of this is mine, but my healing ability must have kicked in because I somehow went from trying to ignore the pain to not feeling it at some point." You poked your finger through the hole in the dress at your stomach where you had been stabbed. "Everything in the backpack spilled out when the carriage was overturned and something stabbed me. Then my leg got bitten by a bear trap. It seems to be fine now, it hurt like crazy when it happened though."

"At least this confirms that you do indeed have almost instant healing," Levi pointed out. "If the injury isn't mortal at least," he assumed.

The door was suddenly open as Mary Anne took out a trash bag, filled with egg shells, empty milk cartons and other byproducts of the preparation of breakfast. She was clearly displeased to have gotten stuck with the chore, but the scouts knew that Levi could return at any moment and they were not going to leave any trash bags laying around for him to find. Mary's jaw dropped as she stared at the sight in front of her. Before she could rationalize that though the image was shocking, it presented no danger, she screamed and dropped the trash bag, spilling its contents all over the base's entrance.

"Look at this mess!" Levi scolded angrily. "Why are you taking out the trash through the front door anyway? You should take it out through the back door! Clean it up, I want everything spotless!"

While Mary was still too shocked to move, Hange appeared at the door. "What's all the yelling about?" She spotted you and Levi, taking in your appearances. "Woah! That was some honeymoon!" She rushed out past the petrified Mary and examined you and Levi in more detail, her eyes taking in every inch. "Interesting," she muttered. Your arms were visible due to the strapless dress bodice that could no longer be called white. Your legs were also easy to see below the knee. 

"Very interesting," Hange turned her curious gaze at Levi who gave her a warning look to keep her distance. In spite of that, she grabbed his arm and pulled up his sleeve. He pulled his arm away, but she grabbed his other arm and repeated the process. "Aha!" She exclaimed as if making a huge discovery, then tried to roll up Levi's pant leg, only to end up face first in the dirt, courtesy of Levi. Not at all discouraged, Hange sprang to her feet and announce at the top of her lungs. "(Name) is a sadist!"

"What?" You exclaimed in surprise at the sudden conclusion.

"It's true!" Hange declared at the top of her lungs. "You're both bloody and your clothes are dirty and torn, but only Levi has scratches and bruises on him. That means that he's the maso in this ship and (Name) is the sado!"

"That's not... I'm not... I didn't!" You babbled incoherently, trying to find an explanation. You would be hurt far worse than Levi if you healed at the same pace as a normal person, but you couldn't reveal that, you didn't want to drag more people into this.

"I don't have time for this, out of my way four eyes," Levi shoved Hange out of the doorway. "And someone better pick up the trash!"

Hange was knocked into the still petrified Mary Anne, who remained motionless and offered no response as Hange hurriedly voiced a quick, "excuse me," before chasing after Levi, calling out at the top of her lungs. "Levi, tell me all about your sexy pain, describe it to me! And when did you get taller?"

You waved a hand in front of Mary Anne's face, she was still too shocked to move. You sighed hopelessly and started to clean up. You were already bloody and dirty from the ordeal, so you wouldn't get much worse by picking up garbage. At least you were home now and in a few minutes you would be in a nice warm tub. Then you caught yourself, home, though you still held your old home in your heart, this was your new home and despite it all, you were glad to be back.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Levi and Reader-chan, now there's yet another rumor going around about them.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	19. Chapter 19: White Knight

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 19: White Knight

Levi got cleaned up and changed into a uniform. You went to get cleaned up next, wondering if he really was planning to continue with his day without rest. At least he wasn't wearing the uncomfortable shoes anymore, but he hadn't really gotten any rest. After you were all clean, you curiously went to see what Levi was up to, but couldn't resist making a small detour to the kitchen. Sasha was on cooking duty that morning along with Mary Anne and Hange, and Sasha was an amazing cook, when she didn't eat the ingredients. 

More cadets had began waking up and roaming the hallways on their way to the mess hall by then. You resumed your search for Levi, but he found you before you could spot him. "We can talk about what you learned now," he made it clear that he wasn't going to wait any longer. 

You followed him to his room without protest and sat down. "You already know father's broke," you stated. "That's part of the reason why he sent me to you, bribes won't work to protect me from... whoever they are." Levi gave you a dissatisfied look, he expected you to be more specific than that. "Father doesn't know, someone else negotiated with some strange people and conducted titan research, but those people, no one really knows who they are."

"Could they be related to whoever gave Annie, the female titan, the ability to transform? Levi asked.

"I don't know, maybe." Giving it some thought, you supposed it was a rather likely option. My father wants to make up for it all though, he wants to fix everything but he doesn't want me to be at risk so he won't tell me what he's doing. Another thing I learned is that I'm not really a titan shifter. My ability is only regeneration and the shifting is a side effect that will ware off. I think it's already starting to go away. Also, I don't think I'm the only one with this ability because it was supposed to have been tested before, but I don't know on who, or if that person is even still alive."

"Regeneration without the danger of becoming an out of control titan..." Levi mused. "Since it was tested, assuming that everything you learned is true, that would mean the other person with the same abilities is unable to go titan by now. That would imply that the danger isn't really from that person, or at least not that person alone. Do you have any suspicions on who that person is?"

"Yes," you admitted, because you knew Levi would see right through you if you denied it. You suspected that person was Melinda, she was definitely hiding something that pained her, she had to be deeply involved in this. "But I don't want you to go around chopping off limbs to see if they'll grow back. Besides, I do believe my father and all those who are with him really are trying to fix things."

"If that's the case then why all this?" Levi asked. "Why not just work together with the scouts?"

You thought about the question instead of replying with your first instinct which was that you didn't know. Then the answer came to you. "They're not hiding this from you, they're hiding it from me. They know I'll try to protect them and put myself at risk, they're trying to protect me by leaving me out of it."

"Then if I ensure you'll be kept in the dark, they might cooperate?" Levi inquired.

"I don't want to be kept in the dark," you protested.

"(Name)," Levi spoke seriously, "this isn't only about you," he reminded.

You sighed hopelessly. You wanted to protect your family, but you also wanted to know. It seemed that rather than putting yourself in danger, the sacrifice you would have to make right now was not knowing. "Possibly."

"Then I'll go talk to your father," Levi decided. He got up and headed for the door.

"What? Now? You're going back to Sina?" You blinked in surprise, wasn't he exhausted? And besides, you just came from Sina last night.

"Your father isn't at Sina," Levi revealed. "I got caught up in the report on his movement while you were getting cleaning up. your father is at Rose. I must speak to him privately, but some of his past staff is with him, so you may come along if you wish to see them."

"Of course!" You hurried after Levi still quite surprised, not at the fact that your father was being watched, but at the fact that instead of staying out late with his business partners for the sake of appearances, he had spent the night traveling to Rose.

The two of you exited the Survey Corps building and went to the stables. It occurred to you that you had never ridden a horse and pointed that out, to which Levi replied with a simple piece of advice, "learn." That was, of course, easier said than done. 

He took his usual brown horse from the stables and led you to the horse you would be using. You recognized the animal immediately. "Knight!" Your voice woke the horse from his nap and he seemed to remember you. He was friendly when you petted him, unlike your own pet, Fluffy, had been before. This was your father's pet stallion, you didn't expect him to be here at the scouts stables. You petted his smooth fully white coat and mane, which gave you a sense of nostalgia, looking out the window of your childhood home to see your father in the yard brushing him. "Why is Knight here?"

"Sasha said a woman called Melinda dropped him off very early in the morning and said this was your horse," Levi explained. Melinda must have not stayed to clean up after the ball after all. She was delivering the horse instead. You were glad to see Knight again, but you had a bad feeling about this. What if your father gave you Knight because he knew that soon he wouldn't be able to take care of him? "Hurry up and get on," Levi impatiently woke you from your thoughts. 

Knight was already saddled from when Melinda brought him. If she left on foot, then her destination couldn't be too far. Since this was Knight you were riding, your father's well behaved refined stallion, it would be a lot easier than you expected. "Down, Knight," you gently tugged on the reins and Knight obediently lay down, making climbing on his back very easy. "Up, Knight," you gently tugged the reins up and Knight stood. You smiled and scratched him behind the ears. "Good boy!"

"Your horse is a wimp," Levi commented as he began to move out of the scouts terrain and towards the road, though thankfully not too fast. 

"Don't pick on Knight, he's a good horse." You tried to remember what your father did when he rode on Knight around the yard and followed Levi.

The horse ride was rather short and you quickly arrived at a little shop consisting of two floors. A familiar pink poodle was sitting outside in front of it. She stood, wagging her tail, but the warm welcome wasn't for you, but for her fellow household pet, Knight. You had Knight let you down and waited for Fluffy to go on a barking fit. She sniffed the air and growled at you suspiciously, but she didn't freak out like she had before. This didn't necessarily mean she recognized you though, maybe she had seen so many unknown people at Rose, that she didn't care to bark at every new stranger anymore. You wondered if Tony was around, but didn't see him as you and Levi left the horses out front and entered the shop.

Artie was behind the counter tending to the bakery that occupied the first floor. He was wearing his chef uniform and smiled over at you when he saw you. The customers took their bread and cakes, heading out of the shop and Artie went around the counter to greet you. "It's wonderful to see you unharmed, little lady!"

"Thanks," you smiled back, though you were surely about to burst with questions.

"Is Mr. (Lastname) here?" Levi inquired.

"Yes," Artie replied with a protective warning look. "He is upstairs, helping Melinda unpack her materials. She'll be running an atelier soon."

Your father soon emerged from the stairs without having to be called, after having seen Knight out front through the window. "My little princess!" He hugged you in greeting, happy to see you were unharmed. "What brings you here today?"

"Um... well... Levi wanted to talk to you and... What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were still at Sina." It didn't make sense. If he wanted to keep whoever was after you away, then why was he so close to your location?

"I live here, thanks to the kindness of Artie and Melinda, I help out around here with whatever needs to be done. I guess you could say I'm like a majordomo." Your father explained calmly.

"What about the danger and... and... and the I don't know what?" You asked.

"You need not worry, that has been taken care of. If they come, they'll aim where they cannot reach." It was another puzzle that you couldn't solve.

"I'd like to speak to you, privately," Levi requested, or more like demanded.

"Very well," as your father agreed, you saw Melinda heading down the stairs. Levi rudely walked away without as much as a glance of acknowledgement, maybe he was still a little bitter because of the shoes. His feet must still hurt, since despite wearing more comfortable boots now, he hasn't really rested. 

While your father and Levi went upstairs, a cloud of silence fell over the first floor. "So... is Tony here?" You finally asked.

"Not right now," Melinda replied with a hint of sadness that she couldn't fully hide. "He's staying with some relatives for a while." You didn't know Artie or Melinda had any relatives, but you were too curious about the conversation upstairs to ask about it at the moment, though it was obvious Tony must have been sent away for his protection.

You looked at the stairs and Artie shook his head hopelessly. "Oh, what's the point. Go on, eavesdrop."

"Artie!" Melinda protested, but you didn't have to be told twice before you headed upstairs as quietly and quickly as you could. "(Name)!"

"I'm sorry, Mel, I just can't take it anymore..." You heard Artie say, his mask of cheer gone, before the sound of his quiet voice was lost to the distance and your attempt to listen to the voices on the other side of a door.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader-chan has her own horse now, but things continue to get complicated in her life...
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	20. Chapter 20: Truths and Negotiations

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 20: Truths and Negotiations

You tensed as you listened to the conversation going on beyond the closed door, between Levi and your father. "I want the truth, all of it," you heard Levi demand. 

"That is knowledge I do not possess," your father calmly replied.

"Then what do you know?" Levi insisted in a no nonsense tone.

"Not much," your father admitted, though that was a matter of opinion. "My brother in law may know more, but I would sooner die than show him ingratitude or provoke his wrath. Don't bother asking (Name) I made sure she never knew who her uncle was."

"The records shows that your late wife didn't have any siblings," Levi pointed out.

"He likes his privacy," your father replied with a tone of forced serenity.

"I'm not here to waste time," Levi reminded. This was getting really tense and you feared it would become violent. You didn't want them to fight, but how could you stop them?

"(Name) stop listening at the door and come inside," your father's words took you by surprise. The door was closed and you were very quiet. How did he know? "(Name), don't pretend you didn't hear me."

You opened the door and stepped inside. "Sorry," you apologized and joined them at the small table. Fabrics, sewing supplies and boxes were all over the room that was to become Melinda's atelier.

"It's alright, princess, I do wish you would grow out of this bad habit though, I fear that eavesdropping will get you into trouble one day," your father worried.

"Father..." You could feel Levi giving you a look of some kind, but you didn't look at him to see the details. "Am I invited to this conversation?" You pressed on.

"Yes, I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark, but a contingency plan presented itself and secrecy is no longer a necessity," your father explained. You and Levi waited for him to continue with the explanation, listening with attention. "There are people in this city who don't belong, people linked to the female titan incident. I have never met them myself, but as I'm sure you already suspected, they are within the walls. There is another group, they have no formal name, but they were basically double agents. Eventually they realized that the spies would not take them into their side, so they concluded that they had no choice but to side with humanity, or so I've heard. None of this is confirmed, but very likely."

"Those people somehow obtained a substance that could turn humans into titans, though only a limited amount. Most or all of them were supposedly killed by the spies, but the substance went from one hand to another, until it reached the black market. A gang got a hold of it and began to consider a super soldier project. The idea of having a titan fight for humanity was too radical at the time, this was well before Eren's abilities became known, perhaps before he was aware of them himself. So they tried to make a substance that granted regeneration and super fast healing that would be combined with rigorous training to create humanity's champions." 

"My brother in law was a part of that project and, without my knowledge at the time, sacrificed many people to the failed experimentations. He only pretended to work for that goal though, a secret private army controlled by the darker side of Sina, the mafia if such a thing exists within these walls. His true goal was to cure his sister of the genetic disease that eventually killed her. Though I didn't know of his activities, I helped fund his research along with the mafia, so I feel responsible for it." 

"The elixir failed to save my wife, and I learned of the atrocities. Yet, I didn't tell anyone, I simply decided to convince my brother in law to focus on normal medical research and I thought he listened. He didn't though, and the experimentation took many lives. Then finally, years later, he told me that there was a successful elixir, one that can make a person regenerate and immunize them against any illness without a permanent titan side effect. The titan shifting part was weakened, I'm not a medical expert, but from what I could understand, the formula included something to make the body clean out that part of the process, keeping the regeneration."

"Because (Name)'s immune system was weakened, it would take longer for her and she was at a greater risk of becoming a wild titan." Your father looked at you apologetically. "The problem is that because your body sees the titan shifting as a virus, it would attack the titan skin around you and it in turn would drain energy from your body to maintain itself. You would die within a few hours, after rampaging through the city. I had obtained information that Levi could retrieve a human that had gone titan. Surely he would want to interrogate you rather than kill you. I had to keep him close to you so he could save you, since we had no idea what triggered the transformation, and for all we knew it could be entirely random. I had expected this to happen, but miraculously, it seems that you managed to stay in human form."

He didn't know fear was the trigger, maybe it wasn't always the trigger, maybe it was random and this was something that happened only in your case. "What about Melinda?" You asked before you could hold yourself back. "The formula was tested on her first, wasn't it?"

"No," your father replied, a bit surprised by your theory. "Did she say that?"

"No, I just guessed," you admitted.

"Melinda was not the test subject, if she was, she could have told us how the elixir felt and what she thought caused each reaction," your father explain. "The test subject couldn't give anyone any information because he couldn't speak and by the time he was able to, it was all forgotten." You stared in confusion as your father continued. "I didn't know Artie or Melinda back then. When she was close to giving birth, she and Artie were attacked by robbers in Rose. You wouldn't recognize Artie if you saw him then, such a scrawny boy. That experience changed him though, not just physically. He trained to be strong so he could protect his family in the future and became determined to always be cheerful and not let anything get to him so that Melinda wouldn't be sad."

"Melinda did give birth and recovered, but the child was born in a very fragile state due to the hits she received from the robbers. Young Anthony wouldn't have been able to walk, he could hardly breathe. In desperation, they took the miracle cure that my brother in law offered and saved their little boy. I found out and resolved to protect the boy to atone for not having stopped my brother in law. Tony went through a seemingly random transformation stage, but because he was only a baby, his titan form was small and a little clumsy in moving, so we managed to keep him hidden in the basement of our old house. He eventually grew out of it and became a normal healthy boy. We knew then that the elixir had indeed been perfected and that's when we decided to give it to you."

"Obtaining the proper materials was difficult, even if my brother in law knew the formula. Apparently, there was only one sample of the original substance and it was a key component of the new formula. I don't know what the size of the sample was, but there was little of it left at that point and it had not been possible to figure out what was in it. That's when my brother in law took things into his own hands again, he offered the mafia Tony, a perfect candidate for the super soldier project, as he was young enough to be easily trained, in exchange for the last portion of the substance. He made the formula and it was delivered."

"The original sample of the titan shifting substance is completely gone as far as I know, the clue that could lead us to identify the spies linked to the female titan incident and very likely also Shiganshina leads to nothing, and the mafia is after Tony. The only thing left to do is to protect him from the life of a mercenary slave slaying titans for a reward, rather than for freedom. My brother in law wants to give him up, to calm the mafia and wash his hands of all this. With the money I gave them plus Tony, they'll leave us alone, but I can't let them have that boy. For all the people that I didn't help and for all the suspicions I willfully ignored, because all I could see was the hope of keeping my own wife and daughter alive, I must save this boy."

"Why not tell me the identity of your brother in law?" Levi spoke for the first time in a long while.

"He has no one identity, he can change his appearance as he pleases, he's a shape shifter, a secret that he discovered and refused to share with anyone but me. He said it would be too dangerous for the mafia to know that it was possible, that the formula for shape shifting would exist only in his mind and die with him. It's like a human sized titan, a human with an extra outer layer that has a different face. I don't believe you'd be able to capture him. You'll only get yourself killed if you pursue him."

"Are you saying that he could impersonate anyone?" Levi inquired with alarm.

"Yes, but not if you know that person. His copies are not precise, if you're familiar with a certain face and especially a certain voice, you should be able to tell there's something wrong." Your father explained, which at least gave you some small degree of reassurance.

"Is Tony hidden somewhere safe?" You asked.

"He's with Mona Lisa," your father revealed to your surprise. "Mona wants the glory of a hero for a son, so she's adopting him. He'll be trained, though in much more humane ways than the mafia would train him, he'll join the scouts when he's old enough and become humanity's new strongest soldier. Mona will treat him well, I'm sure she won't risk upsetting him, Tony is smart and determined well beyond his years. Once Mona is in power, she can keep him safe after taking command of the ninja clan that once served her father, until he's old enough to keep himself safe. Though I'm sure the mafia would have given up by then, if Mona doesn't wipe them out to claim their territories and riches first. She's quite daring."

So that was the change in plans that came up, a negotiation with Mona Lisa. You wouldn't run off to protect Tony if he was already safe behind an army of ninja, so telling you about him would no longer cause you to put yourself in danger. 

"I insist that you tell me the identity of your brother in law," Levi repeated.

"Fine, but first, I want to see (Name) fight," your father's reply took you by surprise. What in the world was he talking about?

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many revelations :o 
> 
> Tutorials: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	21. Chapter 21: Strength

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 21: Strength

"Fight?" You questioned. Your father had offered to tell Levi the identity of your uncle, or his original identity at least, if he saw you fight, which was a very confusing request.

"The fact that you spent the majority of your most important years of development sleeping has affected your depth perception, sense of distance, time and direction," your father stated. "Even if you're healthy now and are no longer trapped in the haze of medicines meant to extend your life, you simply never developed any of that. That is why you bumped your head on the door when you were trying to eavesdrop, but you're so used to those little bouts of clumsiness that you didn't even notice." 

Your jaw dropped, thinking back on it, he was right. When you were helping Levi against the ninja, you always misjudged the distance of your shot. You aimed to hit them square in the chest and instead hit limbs and heads, as they were too close to miss entirely, but you would have missed if you tried to hit them from a distance. How Levi managed to use his ODM gear was a mystery to you, you couldn't predict where the hooks would go. But using ODM gear was something that all the scouts did, and even those who weren't scouts, it was something all soldiers were trained to do, yet you couldn't wrap your head around the concept of how they got the hooks to reach the target they wanted.

"That's also the reason why the mafia would rather chase Tony than you, you're older and more difficult to mold, but also far too clumsy to be an effective super soldier," your father added. "If they come for you, it'll more likely be to use you as a hostage to try to get to Tony, which is why Levi is still needed as a bodyguard, even if the titan transformation threat is probably no longer an issue by now. I'm sorry princess, you're still my most beloved treasure, but I can't deny that you're a particularly clumsy girl."

You were speechless. One scene after another came to mind. This has been going on for so long, the shard of glass that cut your hand when you were helping Armin and the others on dish duty, you had misjudged the distance and your hand smashed right into it, rather than gently picking it up. The juice you spilled and accidentally cleaned with one of Levi's ties, you were indeed quite clumsy, as if you were so used to seeing the world in a blurry medical haze, that your brain wasn't fully accustomed to seeing it in precise dimensions. The image in front of your eyes turning wavy was something that you got used to blinking away, you didn't need to do that since you were cured, but you were still getting used to things in fact being where they appeared to be. your brain was confusing wondering if it should compensate by making items seem closer, or further, a little to the left or to the right.

"Don't worry, princess, I'm sure you can overcome this. Your perception is just confused, but it'll get better with time." Your father patted your shoulder in reassurance, then addressed Levi with a business proposition. "I'm not saying you should make her an ODM expert, that's a bit much, but at least teach her to land a punch. She won't transform anymore, so I don't need you specifically as a bodyguard, but I lack the economical means to hire another bodyguard, so I'll pay you with information. After (Name) is strong enough to protect herself, I'll tell you what you want to know and then you can pursue my brother in law and get yourself killed if that is your wish."

"I will not get killed," Levi assured confidently. "But I can see that there's no other way to reason with you. Alright, I'll train (Name) in combat and have her demonstrate her abilities, if you give me your word that you will delivered the promised information once her training is complete."

"If her combat abilities are sufficient, then you have my word," your father assured.

Levi scuffed, "I don't train my troops to have merely sufficient skill."

"Wait a minute..." You began to protest, but you weren't even sure what to say. You didn't want Levi to risk his life if your uncle was better left alone. You were cured, so he had no reason to experiment on anyone anymore. But you couldn't exactly protest about being trained to defend yourself, since that might become a necessity, and besides, you didn't want to be helpless. 

You just felt the need to say something to relieve the feeling of foreboding you couldn't shake off, yet neither Levi nor your father glanced in your direction, instead too occupied with glaring at each other. 'Wow,' you thought, 'father's brave to withstand Levi's glare of doom like that and even glare back.'

Footsteps that made no effort to hide the approach of their owner stopped in front of the door and there was a knock. "Come in," you called, since it looked like things were settled anyway and the conversation was probably over. Besides, it was probably Artie or Melinda and they must know about all of this anyway.

Artie entered the room, his chef jacket and hat were gone, instead he wore a tight fitting tanktop that put his large muscles on display and a nasty glare that felt alien on his usually soft expression. He seemed to be holding something behind his back, but you couldn't see what it was. "Is everything alright, lord (Lastname)?" He addressed your father with his old title.

"Quite alright," your father replied. "Mr. Ackerman is much more reasonable than we expected."

"That's good to hear, but if he needs any persuasion, just say the word," Artie assured, though Levi did not look intimidated in the least.

"I do hope it doesn't come to this, Mr. Ackerman, but as a warning, if anything happens to my daughter or you refuse to cooperate in any way, you can be certain every last one of the Survey Corps' uniforms will be stained with red."

You gasped at the serious threat, as Artie placed the item he had been holding on the table. It was... sauce? Not just any sauce, but Artie's special sauce. You've tried the sauce before and it was delicious. 

Suddenly, the usually cool, calm and collected Levi, who refused to be intimidated by Artie's huge biceps, was eying the bottle wearily. "You wouldn't dare," Levi stood, glaring.

"I guarantee that nothing can remove this kind of stain," your father threatened. "And there's more, ketchup, mustard..."

While your father listed things that produced stains, Levi retorted with things that could be used to remove stains, many of which you never would have thought would be good for that. "Bleach, vinegar, baking soda..." 

You watched the exchange in awe, while Artie fought to maintain his intimidating look despite how hilarious the argument sounded. "Okay, I think it's time to go, the scouts will be wondering where you are, Levi. Thanks for having us over, father." Neither Levi nor your father stopped the war of stain and stain removing examples, though your father gave you a brief nod of acknowledgement and Levi opposed no resistance when you started pulling on his arm to make him walk.

You pulled your husband down the stairs, with the arguments still going strong, Artie followed, ensuring that he was making an intimidating pose with every step, flexing his muscles as if it was a bodybuilder contest. 

"Take some pastries with you (Name), Artie baked them this morning." Melinda handed you a box and paid little mind to the insanity around her, as if part of her knew that it would eventually come to this.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually one of the first few scenes I planned out when this story was in the idea stage before I had written much. As always, the story doesn't go according to plan as new ideas make their way into the plot, but the sauce scene with Artie stayed basically the same. This scene was also part of what influenced Artie's design to be a super buff chef. On another note, I just found out that there's actually a character called Gustav in the anime. Though it should already be evident, to clarify, the Gustav in this story is not the same, he's an OC.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	22. Chapter 22: Scheme Interrupted

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 22: Scheme Interrupted

You returned to the scouts base, tired from the lack of sleep the previous night. "Can we start the training tomorrow?" You whined, nearly falling off Knight, though you thankfully managed to hold on. "I'm tired."

Levi got off his horse and put it back in the stables. "You're not going to get any stronger if you act like such a wimp."

"You're being unreasonable." You got off Knight and put him into the stables as well. "I don't think I can learn anything right now anyway."

"Fine, take the rest of the day off, we'll start training tomorrow morning," Levi decided, maybe more so because of his own aching feet than as a mercy to you.

You thought about going to bed and sleeping until the next morning, then just as you approached the front door of the main building, you saw Eren, Mikasa and Armin heading out. "No detours this time, and hurry up." Levi warned as he passed them. 

"Yes, sir!" The three replied with a hasty salute, not wanting to get stuck with dish duty like that time in the past that felt so far away.

"Do you want to come with us, (Name)?" Eren invited. "We're going to buy new mops this time."

You were tired, but you didn't really want to say no. It might help you relax if you hung out with your friends for a while, then you could go straight to bed after returning from the shopping trip. "Sure, I'll tag along."

Thus you, Eren, Mikasa and Armin went off to the market on foot, talking about the random occurrences in the lives of the scouts as you went along. Sasha had burned her tongue with bacon, because it was such a rare treat that she couldn't wait for it to cool before eating it. Hange had began to hypothesize if titans could prefer bacon to human flesh if they were exposed to the taste, and got into a debate with Sasha about if any of the bacon should be set aside for such experiments if another small titan was ever captured. Eren had jokingly volunteered to be the bacon taster, since he could titan shift and all, which prompted Hange to start stuffing bacon into his mouth, stealing it from other people's plates. It was chaotic, but then again, the peak hours at the mess hall were always chaotic in some way.

The four of you were calmly walking down the street, when Mikasa stopped at a shop to admire the display of wintery clothes, perhaps wondering if Eren would notice her more if she could wear a pretty coat like that. 

"Do the scouts have Christmas parties?" You asked as you stopped to look at the display along with Mikasa.

"Christmas?" Mikasa questioned in confusion, you were shocked to see she didn't know about it. 

The weather was cold now and Christmas was only a few days away. It had only been the beginning of fall when you joined the scouts. "Yeah, you know, December 25th, presents, jingle any bells?"

Mikasa shook her head while Armin shushed you in warning. "We're not supposed to talk about stuff from before, in the outside world, like oceans and holidays."

"No pirates or Christmas? Well I can't allow that. Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday. I had lots of children's picture books about it growing up. I wonder what ever happened to them. There were lots of great stories about the north star, three kings and a baby boy. About a reindeer with a red glowing nose, a snowman that came to life and a chubby old man in red that brought presents. I say we have a secret celebration," you lowered your voice in plotting. "Though it might be a bit chaotic if we include mistletoe with so many people moving around." So what if Rose didn't have enough resources to spare on trees and decorations like when you lived at Sina, you didn't need any of that, with just a little holiday cheer, everything would be ready to go.

"Let's do it!" Eren was immediately on board, "I won't let the titans steal humanity's holidays!" He boldly declared, with Armin shushing him in caution. The blond boy liked the idea too, but this was not the proper place to discuss it so loudly. "By the way, what's mistletoe?"

"Oh, I think I know what it is," Armin mused. "I might have seen it in a book once." He seemed a bit embarrassed as he explained. "You have to hang it somewhere, like a doorframe," he whispered. "Then if someone stands under it at the same time, you have to kiss."

Mikasa blushed, "that's part of the holiday?"

"Yup," you confirmed. "You need to be careful around mistletoe, or everyone will expect you to kiss whoever you're caught with under it."

"Reminds me of that time we started chanting, kiss, kiss, kiss," Eren recalled. "Sorry about that (Name), you were new and we kind of put you on the spot with all the teasing."

You blushed, the memory still quite vivid for you, Levi's kiss on the cheek, your near transformation accident, and how you clung to Levi while trying to stop the mist from forming into a titan's limbs. "It's ok, I know you guys meant well, it was harmless teasing. I was just really shy back then."

"I bet they'll try to get you and Levi under the mistletoe once they learn what it's for," Armin theorized. He was right, everyone would surely be plotting to obtain the show they didn't get to witness that day.

"Maybe we shouldn't include mistletoe in our celebration," you whispered, mindful of the people walking up and down the street. It wasn't too busy though, as the atmosphere outside was getting colder.

"We should have a complete celebration," Mikasa suggested. "So that we may preserve humanity's traditions, I mean," she excused.

Anything that sounded like rebellion against the titans sounded good to Eren, "yeah!" He immediately agreed.

"If you really want to include it..." Oh man, how in the world were you going to explain this to Levi? What if you did get caught under the mistletoe with him? If the scouts banded together to make it happen, it would be almost certainly unavoidable. 

You were lost in thought when out of nowhere, a strange man that looked like a stereotypical ruffian, with disheveled clothes and an uneven beard picked you up and threw you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "I got her, the rich girl from Sina!" He dashed away like a madman while you screamed to be put down. 

Apparently the news that a scout was married to a lady of Sina had finally spread around Rose, but the news of your father's bankruptcy had not had time to spread yet. Caught completely off guard, Eren, Mikasa and Armin let out a chorus of gasps of surprise and began to run in kidnapper's pursuit, with Mikasa quickly taking the lead. 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta love those holiday chapters, they add a sense of timing to the stories. If you recall, fall leaves were mentioned in an earlier chapter. The mistletoe chaos will be fun, but you'll have to deal with the current chaos first. As always, comments are welcomed and appreciated! I always reply to them. :)
> 
> I made an Eren pixel :D My army of chibi scouts is growing!
> 
> http://mikaristar.deviantart.com/art/Attack-on-Titan-Eren-Icon-525253060
> 
> http://mikaristar.deviantart.com/art/Levi-Ackerman-Attack-on-Titan-524114557
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	23. Chapter 23: The Chase

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 23: The Chase

One minute you were merrily walking down the street, planning a Christmas party with Eren, Mikasa and Armin, then the next you were being kidnapped by a big smelly man. Since this was only a short errand to buy mops, the three aforementioned scouts didn't bring their ODM gear and had to give chase on foot. Mikasa took the lead, jumped and delivered a devastating kick to the man's head. He fell, dropping you in the process and you rolled away just in time to avoid getting squished under him. You stood, accepting Mikasa's help and dusted yourself off. "Thank you so much."

"You're wel-" Mikasa was interrupted by a scream, this one more boyish than yours.

Eren stumbled as he scrambled to stop his mad dash to catch up with Mikasa and turned towards the direction of the sound. The now unconscious ruffian wasn't alone. Two other similar looking suspicious men appeared on the scene as the few people that transited the streets cleared away in alarm. One of the men held Armin hostage, with a dagger at his throat. "Armin! Let him go!" Eren shouted angrily.

Mikasa glared, but it was too dangerous to move on the attack now. "I'll trade this little boy for that girl," the man gestured towards you. 

You couldn't allow this to happen, besides, as long as the injury wasn't lethal, you could heal. Maybe you could find an opportunity to escape. They would attack and you might be injured, but they wouldn't try to kill you if they wanted a ransom and you could deal with minor injuries thanks to your healing abilities. "Alright, let him go," you stepped forward.

"Don't do it (Name)! Run away!" Armin protested and squirmed against his captors' iron grip.

You walked over to the two men and the one who wasn't holding Armin tied your hands behind your back with a piece of old rope, it was uncomfortably tight and you didn't think you could free your hands without help. You were once again tossed over another man's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, despite your protests of, "I can walk by myself!"

"I guess we don't need this one," the accomplice moved the dagger against Armin's throat and there was blood. Eren saw red and reached to bite his hand in an uncontrollable vengeful fury, but Mikasa stopped him. Armin fell limply to the ground, then in a swift movement he was kicking the man's feet from under him and the towering criminal was on the ground.

You squirmed to get lose from your captor's grip as Mikasa swooped in and planted her boot on the fallen man's face so hard she finished knocking him out. Armin was holding the bleeding cut on his neck, but he had twisted away in just the right way at the last moment and it wasn't deep enough to put his life in any danger. 

The man that held you went on the run, with Mikasa giving chase. "Eren, help Armin take care of his wound, I'll get (Name)." The moment's distraction to call back to her friends caused Mikasa to lose sight of the kidnapper as he turned a corner. "(Name!)" She called out to you.

"Mikasa!" You shouted as loud as you could, hoping that she could follow the sound of your voice.

"(Name!)" Mikasa's voice echoed through the alleys as the chase continued towards the least nice sectors of Rose.

"Mikasa!" you screamed again.

"Shut up!" The man purposely knocked your head against a corner as he turned. It hurt, but you didn't stop screaming.

"(Name!)" Eren's voice joined in from a different direction and you realized the man was going in circles through a maze of narrow dim alleys in an effort to lose his pursuers.

"Eren!" You shouted in return.

"I said shut up, you stupid bitch!" Your kidnapper snapped.

"(Name!)" Armin too had joined the chase, the three of them running around like hamsters in a giant maze, trying to pin point your location based on the echo of your voice.

"Armin!" You shouted.

"Damn bitch, how many times do I have to tell you to shut up?" He bashed your head again and quite frankly you were getting sick of it.

"(Name!)" Mikasa's voice sounded like it came from higher up. She must have climbed to the rooftops, even without ODM gear, to have a better chance of spotting you.

"(Name!)" Armin's voice echoed, though he sounded a bit further away than Mikasa, or maybe there was just a wall between you, you didn't know.

"Mikasa! Armin! Eren!" You screamed as loud as you could.

Eren however didn't call out your name, instead his voice echoed with a surprised sounding, "Captain?!"

Levi? Levi was here? You squirmed like crazy and kicked nonstop, you didn't want him to see so you helplessly being kidnapped. You had to show him you weren't a wimp. You pushed yourself up, trying to crawl over your kidnapper's shoulder. The man that held you, pulled you down to stop you from trying to push yourself over your shoulder and at that moment you moved your legs to push yourself down instead, resulting in him momentarily losing his grip. You landed right in front of him and swiftly kicked him between the legs before he could pick you up again. His hands moved to shield himself and as he bent over in pain you kicked him over and over. 

Titan mist began to float around your whole body but no titan limbs were forming. At some point your hands were suddenly free, but you were too focused on defending yourself, you kicked over and over, harder each time until you heard a cracking sound. Then suddenly, the ground beneath your feet was gone and you were flying through the air. 

"Idiot, that's enough." You heard Levi's familiar voice, which snapped you from your panicked fury. "It'll be troublesome if you end up with a dead body to hide."

You gasped and tried to refocus your mind in the current happenings. Levi was using his ODM gear, though only one hook, since his other hand was occupied in holding you around the waist. He landed on a rooftop and set you on your feet. Your adrenaline was still on high, your breathing rapid and erratic. You had seen the mist, but there was no transformation, that must mean the adaptation process was complete and you really wouldn't be in danger of transforming any more. "Sorry..." you gasped, barely able to catch your breath. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I got kidnapped, I'm sorry I'm troublesome, I didn't mean to have to rely on anyone, I don't want to be a burden."

"Shut up," Levi suddenly interrupted, his tone harsh. You fell silent and listened as he continued in a softer tone. "No one can go through life without relying on their comrades," he stated as if from experience. "I still expect a full explanation about what happened here."

"Alright," you nodded.

Levi looked at the street below. Armin was nervously talking to Commander Dot Pixis, who apparently happened to be passing by when he heard a suspicious commotion. Eren emerged onto the main street from an alley and Mikasa climbed down the side of a building, receiving shocked looks from said building's inhabitants. "Let's go," Levi helped you to the ground with the use of his ODM gear. "I knew it was bad news when those three were taking too long to bring the mops. 

Levi went over to talk to Dot, "I apologize for my cadets disturbing the peace, (Name) got kidnapped and they were trying to save her."

"Oh, it's quite alright as long as it was all resolved without anyone getting hurt," Dot looked at you curiously. "So this is your wife? I have heard about her but never had the pleasure to meet her. Greetings, milady, I'm Commander Dot Pixis from the Garrison, it's an honor to meet you!" He cheerfully kissed your hand.

You gave a little bow, playing along with the formalities. "The honor is mine, commander, I'm (Name) (L-) Ackerman," you corrected yourself before you accidentally used your old surname.

The conversation took a turn from there, becoming filled with small pleasantries and cheerful comments. Dot complimented Levi on having married, "such a charming young lady" and teased him about making sure no one tried to steal you away again. The garrison commander seemed nice and very cheerful. 

However, after Dot Pixis left, Levi's look turned serious as he glared at you, Eren, Mikasa and Armin. "Where are the mops?"

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you might have already guessed, I enjoy chase scenes. XD
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	24. Chapter 24: It's not Mine!

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 24: It's not Mine!

Thankfully, Eren, Mikasa and Armin didn't end up stuck with some ridiculous punishment for not having the new mops readily at hand. This time Levi was lenient, probably because he was too exhausted to think of a fitting punishment, and let the three go on their way to purchase the mops and complete their mission. In the evening, you dragged yourself to bed, after having gotten a little distracted by something Sasha was telling you at dinner. You weren't sure what the conversation was even about, you just nodded at everything. 

Levi had slipped away and you found him resting in his room, seemingly ready to sleep as he had already showered and changed. You got ready for bed too and were about to exit the room so as to not disturb the sleeping Levi, when he revealed he was still awake, "where are you going?"

"Sleep," you muttered drowsily.

"They're watching us," he reminded and it took your poor exhausted brain a few seconds to figure out what he meant. "I'll move in a second."

You nodded and returned to the bed. Everyone was expecting you to sleep in the same room and they would certainly notice if you didn't. You glanced at his feet, curious about their state, lifting the blanket to see. "those are some bruised little piggies," you giggled, hazy with sleep. "Are you ticklish?" You poked at his feet.

"Ever been kicked in the face?" Levi growled in warning.

"Aw, you're no fun." You retreated before he fulfilled his offer, at least his feet were exceptionally clean. "Why do your feet smell like vanilla mint?"

"Because smelly feet are for dirty people, slob," he began to get up.

"Where are you going? You don't have to move, the bed's big enough, besides, you must be," you yawned, "exhausted..." Your head touched the pillow and your senses were further blurred.

"Fine," You felt Levi lay down next to you, then he soon got up again a mere few seconds later. "Stupid sleep deprivation and aching feet," he grumbled, of course he was in pain after running around and fighting a bunch of ninja in the shoes of doom, then spending practically the whole day on his feet without rest. He was in pain and he was irritable. "I'm going to the infirmary," he announced, getting up and walking out the door.

You were curious and got out of bed with quite the big effort, as the pillow seemed to be constantly calling your name and dreamland kept trying to pull you in. "Does it hurt that much?" You stupidly asked as you followed Levi.

"What do you think?" Levi snapped, you couldn't blame him for that one. "You don't have to follow me," he growled.

"What kind of wife would I be if I didn't offer moral support?" You countered.

"The kind that's not nosy," he retorted.

The two of you made it to the infirmary where Hange was looking over the supplies and taking notes on a clipboard for inventory. "Hey," she greeted cheerfully, "need anything?" She assumed there was a reason for the visit, since no one really went to the infirmary for no reason.

Levi began to look through the supply drawers, searching for a general pain killer of some sort. His aching feet and sleep deprivation had put him in a sour mood punctuated by a headache. "I'm looking for a-"

"Say no more!" Hang interjected. You supposed that it was pretty obvious that Levi needed a painkiller, even if his feet were covered by slippers, because there was no way Levi the neat freak would walk around barefoot. He did have the irritated, pained expression that people often got when they had a headache, only much more deadly looking. Hange tugged the clipboard under her arm and dug around the drawers, pulled something out and handed it to Levi.

Levi examined the item, his murderous aura flaring in annoyance as he glared daggers at Hange. "This is not what I'm looking for!" He threw the condom on the floor in anger, allowing you a clear view of the item, which made your face turn red. You already knew that everyone assumed stuff happened between you and your husband, but it was still a bit embarrassing when you were directly reminded of their assumptions.

Hange lifted the clipboard as if to shield herself with it. "You don't have to act so offended, it's not like I have any way to know!" She dug around the drawers some more and handed Levi another item. 

Levi angrily sent the newly acquired item crashing harsh against the floor as well, it was another condom, albeit of a larger size than the first. You weren't sure if this was mortifying, hilarious or both... probably both. "I want a painkiller, give it to me before I kill you, four eyes," Levi seriously warning.

"Oh," Hange gulped and inched away. "You have a headache, just a second, I'm sure we have some good painkillers left. Hange dropped her clipboard in her rush and dug through the drawers again until she produced a bottle of pills. 

Levi ripped the bottle from her hand, took two pills and swallowed them without water. Then he grumpily left the clinical area. You picked up the clipboard from the floor and handed it back to Hange. "Sorry he's so grumpy."

"It's ok, it could be worse," Hange sighed. "Levi doesn't get headaches often, but when he does everyone better run for cover. We need to give him a headache in the middle of the battle field one of these days and let him lose. He'll probably kill off all the titans all on his own," she joked.

You laughed sleepily and a yawn escaped you. "Well, I should get going now, good night." 

You were about to leave, but Hange stopped you. "Wait," she picked up the larger condom and handed it to you, "go ahead and take this, just in case he gets over his headache," she winked. Your face turned scarlet as you stammered a thanks and scurried out into the hallway. 

On your way back to Levi's room, you ran into Eren, Mikasa and Armin, who took note of your pajamas. "You're going to bed already?" Eren asked. "We were going to do some more planning for the party, but I guess we can do that tomorrow."

"We still haven't thought about how to ask the commander to let us have the party, but it would be great if you talked to captain Levi about it," Armin suggested.

You were in such a hurry to get back to Levi's room and get some sleep and still a bit embarrassed over the scene with Hange that you dropped the item she had given you. "You dropped something," Eren automatically bent over to pick it up.

"That's ok, I'll get it," you hurried to pick it up before he saw what it was and ended up bumping your head against Eren's. 

The two of you exchanged a chorus of "ow!" and "sorry!" while Armin resolved to pick up the item on the floor himself.

The blond boy handed it over, "here's your," then he noticed what it was and his face turned as scarlet as yours. He was rendered unable to finish the sentence and the troublesome item slipped from his suddenly numb grasp.

"Good night!" You hastily retreated in embarrassment, dashing to Levi's room and closing the door behind you.

"What's your problem?" Levi glared, the pain killer had not had its full effect yet.

"I ran into Eren, Mikasa and Armin in the hall," you babbled, your cheeks ablaze.

"What's so strange about that?" Levi questioned impatiently, he really wasn't in the mood for any more shenanigans. A knock on the door sounded off and all the color drained away from your face. Giving you an odd look, as if you'd gone insane, Levi walked past you to see who was at the door.

Levi opened the door to find Mikasa, who seemed to be hoping you would have been the one to come to the door instead. Nonetheless, she bravely soldiered on and held up her hand, the item you had dropped resting between her thumb and index fingers. "(Name) dropped this," she announced with as much composed indifference as she could muster.

Levi glared, snatched away the condom and rudely shut the door on her face. He then proceeded to throw it at you in annoyance, "you dropped this."

You failed to catch it, instead it bounced off your forehead and fell on the floor by your feet, prompting some criticism from Levi. "Don't throw your things on the floor, slob," he went back to bed.

"It's not mine!" You snapped before picking up the ever troublesome item, shoving it in a drawer and closing it. The color had returned to your face and it had become red again. Trying to ignored it, you climbed onto the bed.

"You sure make a fuss about stupid details for someone with such a large collection of that kind of novel," Levi commented.

"Those weren't really mine either," you defended.

"Just shut up and go to sleep," he finally ordered.

Though you were facing away from each other in an attempt to maintain some semblance of personal space, the truth was that the bed was simply too small for that and if you did as much as breathe you could feel his back against yours. It would have been a distraction if you weren't so tired, tonight you would have no trouble sleeping because of your extreme exhaustion, but you had no idea how you would manage to fall asleep like this tomorrow night.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some silliness, I hope you had a laugh. XD
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	25. Chapter 25: Merry Christmas

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 25: Merry Christmas

The next morning, Melinda came by with Fluffy. They had considered taking her to Mona Lisa's mansion at Sina, as the takeover was now complete, the ninja under her command, and returning was safe, but she wasn't fond of pets. A bakery was no place for a dog and they were very busy every day, so Fluffy had no one to play with. She seemed to be getting along with you much better than before, so you figured it would be ok to keep her at the scouts' base. She got along with everyone, except Eren, whom she kept barking at much like she did to you before. 

Aside from that, the other big event lately was the Christmas party. You had managed to talk to Levi about it and, reasoning that it would help keep up the scouts morale, he actually agreed to it, though you had not mentioned the mistletoe. He said he would talk to Erwin about it and you had high hopes that the party would be possible. Erwin later made the official announcement, the party was to be kept low key, so that people didn't start pointing fingers, claiming that the scouts were misusing their tax money, but there would be a small celebration on the evening of December 25th. 

xoxox xox xoxox

On the night of the party, you looked over your supplies, the cute little handmade ornaments sucked away at your sleeping hours but you were happy you finished them and would be able to hand them out on time. 

"I could use this to clean the tea cup handles... Thank you, maybe I should give you a gift later," Levi dangled the tiny mop on his finger on the looped string attached to one end of the stick. The other end had abundant strands of red and green yarn. Levi's idea made you think of the time he got his finger stuck on a teacup handle while trying to push a cleaning cloth through it, both the thick cloth and his finger didn't comfortably fit at the same time. 

The little mop was only supposed to be a decoration, but if Levi found a use for it, that was fine with you. "You're welcome, and you don't have to, I mean, this is just a small detail, and besides, it's not my birthday." You picked to the box you had brought a little earlier. When you first brought it you were cradling it as if trying to hide it, but then noticed that it would be inevitably seen and stopped trying. You handed it to Levi, who curiously opened it and looked inside. "Artie helped me make it," you admitted, "but I picked what to make and decorated it."

A little cake was the centerpiece with cookies all around it Charlotte Cake style and a 'Happy Birthday Levi' written in frosting on top. The cookies were shaped like various cleaning supplies, colored with frosting, mops, brooms, feather dusters and bottles of soap. On top there was a cookie box of soap, overturned with white sugar next to it to represent the detergent, and foamy white and pale blue frosting forming bubbles of soap all over the top of the cake. "Best cake design I've ever seen."

You giggled at that, finished putting away all the little ornaments for your friends in a bag and prepared to go downstairs. "Should we go to the party now?"

"I'm not taking my cake down there," Levi decided, there would hardly be any crumbs left if he did. Though the scouts had their own food, including cake, they would surely zero in on his cake because it looked so much better than any other cake. "We can eat it later, keep it a secret and you can have some." 

"My lips are sealed," you agreed.

xoxox xox xoxox

The base became filled with activity as the mess hall was declared the party room and people put up whatever decorations they could find that serve to make the place more festive. Levi had come by to scold you and Krista about the bits of paper that had fallen on the floor when you were making paper snowflakes, but he hadn't been too grumpy about it. Artie promised to bring over a lot of treats from the bakery, which would be most welcomed.

The day of the festivities was kept, as promised, very low key, but it was also a very happy atmosphere, perhaps more cheerful than any other evening at the scouts' base. People gave each other little gifts and knick knacks, though there wasn't much time to do much. The highlight of the party had become the mistletoe, which Levi learned about when the permission had already been given. He made it a point to be aware of all the spots where it hung from the ceiling all over the mess hall and to stay away from them. No one had tried to get you and Levi under the mistletoe yet, but the night was young and you assumed the attempts would begin as soon as people noticed that it wasn't going to happen if they didn't make it happen.

Jean kept trying to get Mikasa under the mistletoe, luring her over with pastries and conversation, but Mikasa never left Eren's side, waiting to see if he would actually step under the mistletoe, though she wasn't really doing anything to make it happen. The eggnog went around and at some point it was spiked, a fact of which Hange was considerate enough to warn you. This party was possible in part because of you, so it would feel traitorous not to share that information. Improvised Christmas carols were sang, with one of them evolving into a happy birthday song for Levi after the news of it got out.

You made sure not to drink anymore eggnog after Hange's quiet warning. Jean, on the other hand, had no idea and his off key singing had become quite entertaining. Erwin was going around trying to find out who had spiked the eggnog without permission, though he had quite a bit himself and couldn't immediately see past Hange's act of innocence. Meanwhile, in the background, a tipsy Sasha was chasing Connie around with Fluffy in her arms, claiming that they had been caught under the mistletoe so he was obligated to kiss the dog.

A few kisses occurred under the mistletoe, mostly half drunk, yet shy and innocent, Mary Anne was the female half of several of them. No one specified what kind of kiss it had to be, so sometimes they were on the cheek, despite the protests of the audience that wanted to see a real kiss. Erwin interrogated everyone trying to find the spiked eggnog culprit and despite his blurred senses, he eventually began to suspect Hange, who was dead drunk by then and with a loud proclamation of, "you'll never take me alive copper!" she ran away.

Erwin gave chase in an attempt to prevent her from making a bigger drunken mess of things. Unfortunately, Hange ran right into the singing Jean, and Erwin, who was more drunk than he appeared, ran straight into Hange, leaving the three in a pile on the floor underneath the mistletoe. Hange noticed the plant above their heads and laughed loudly. "I get these two to myself!" She slurred before kissing both Jean and Erwin right on the lips. "Your turn, boys," she pushed their heads together before they could recover from the shock, forcing them into an awkward kiss, then promptly passed out among the cheers and hoots of her comrades. 

Jean screamed bloody murder and made a big dramatic scene about his stolen kiss, while Erwin, picked up the drunken Hange from the floor, muttering that there would be consequences. Jean continued on his dramatic rampage, running all over the mess hall until he bumped into Armin underneath another mistletoe. Much to Armin's misfortune, the drunk Jean loudly declared. "My heart belongs to Mikasa, but if tradition demands it I shall kiss you, fair Krista!" 

Armin tried to explain that he was not Krista, but Jean refused to back down and started chasing him all over the mess hall. Scared of suffering a terrible, and most mortifying, fate, Armin called out to his best friends for help. Mikasa was too distracted being territorial of Eren, but Eren noticed Armin's cries of agony and ran off to defend him. He placed himself between Jean and Armin protectively, but the drunk Jean couldn't keep up with Eren's sudden appearance and kissed him, believing he was kissing Krista. An enraged Mikasa kicked Jean away and sent him flying across the room, he crashed against a wall and was knocked out. Yet unfortunately for Mikasa, Eren had swiftly moved out of the mistletoe area in a fit of exaggerated coughs and gagging noises before she could step in. 

Armin backed away from the chaos and the murderous Mikasa, she was his friend, but she was scary sometimes. He bumped into an unsuspecting Sasha, who was set on placing Fluffy and Connie under the mistletoe again, so that there would be no doubts that they would have to kiss. Fluffy licked Armin on the cheek and, realizing that they were under the mistletoe, Sasha kissed his other cheek, then resumed her quest. Connie had taken the distraction as an opportunity to hide under one of the tables and came out only after Sasha had ran off to the other side of the mess hall looking for him.

Concluding that the chaos had gone on long enough, Levi declared that the party was over and ordered everyone to march to their rooms. People started to file out of the mess hall among groans of complaint and tired drunken slurs. There were so many people going through the main door at the same time that no one care to reinforce the mistletoe rule in regards to the one hanging from the door frame. 

Levi yelled at everyone to hurry up and they filed out into the hallway faster. Eren, who had been a tad nauseous and lagging behind, hurried to catch up with the main group, just as Levi was about to exit the mess hall himself. Someone, you weren't sure who, pointed out their position, causing both Levi and Eren to look up apprehensively. "The party is already over," Levi argued with finality, which made Mikasa let out a breath of relief.

However, the crowd did not relent and with a burst of alcohol fueled foolish bravery, they chanted, "kiss, kiss, kiss!"

"But this doesn't count," Eren argued nervously, appealing to the fact that they both liked girls and there were no girls in the current equation.

Mikasa took the situation into her own hands and dragged you towards the doorframe. She positioned herself in front of Eren and shoved you towards Levi, as the crowd cheered with teasing interest. "For freedom..." Mikasa whispered in a barely audible shy voice.

Eren nodded, suddenly blushing as if seeing Mikasa for the first time and wondering how he didn't notice her like this before. They kissed among the cheers of their peers, while you nervously watched on, wondering if this would be enough to satisfy the audience. It wasn't, and they kept staring at you and Levi expectantly, while blocking the only escape route. The next thing you knew, Levi had pulled you into a kiss. You wrapped your arms around him, part of you was saying that you were obligated to play along, while the rest of you was incapable of forming any coherent thoughts at the moment.

That night you had cake with Levi, and the next morning, the majority of the scouts had a hangover. Erwin was sure he meant to punish Hange over something, but he couldn't remember what it was, so he disregarded it. Besides, he had a nasty headache and it didn't look like she was faring any better, so perhaps karma had already done the job. Jean probably had the biggest headache of all, but secretly, though he was frustrated about not being able to kiss Mikasa, the thing that disturbed him the most was that weird dream where he kissed Eren. Levi seemed to be the same as ever, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. You did your best to play along, yet you couldn't help it but to think that something in you had changed and there was no going back.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 25 chapters and they finally kiss, I know, I know, it took me long enough. XD Chapter 25 takes place on December 25... I didn't plan that, it just happened. XD
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	26. Chapter 26: Cleaning Lessons

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 26: Cleaning Lessons

You fought to maintain your balance, using the mop as a walking stick. You finally made it to the mess hall, where Levi was going to give you cleaning lessons, while the rest of the inhabitants of the scouts base recovered from their hangovers. You stumbled towards Levi, who did not look amused. "Why are you wearing those ridiculous shoes?" 

"It was Mary Anne's idea," you tried to explain. You reached the side of the room and used the wall for support. "After you left this morning, she stumbled into the room, all hung over, babbling about sexy shoes and insisted that I wore these."

"And why did you humor her?" Levi questioned.

You shrugged, "well, why not? I mean they're just shoes..." Ok, they weren't just shoes, they were platform heels, as if one or the other wasn't a challenge to your balance by itself, handling the two together was nearly impossible. "Inconvenient shoes," you admitted.

"Idiot," Levi stated as if it was a matter of fact.

"Hey, I've just about had it with you calling me idiot, slob, brat and what not, you little neat freak," you argued back.

"Then don't earn it," he countered.

You pouted, "you were nicer to me when I first got here." Erwin had been nice too, not that he was mean now, but after you made some friends among the scouts he had pretty much left you to your own devices. 

"There were some significant threats hanging over the scouts back then," Levi reminded.

Then it hit you, you weren't in danger of transforming anymore and your father's influence at Sina was lost. His bankruptcy had become public along with Mona Lisa's raise to power and the business partnership he was once a part of was no more. The rumor was that Monocle was a prisoner in all but in name and the great tycoons, Mustache and Nose had been reduced to common merchants. They were still rich, but not nearly as rich and influential as Mona Lisa had become. With all that had happened, what was stopping a divorce from taking place? Your marriage could only be held together by your social stature for so long.

You supposed maybe Levi didn't want to complicate things with your father holding a vital piece of information, the identity of your uncle. Yet he was trading the combat lessons for that, which he could provide regardless of if he was your husband or not. A divorce would surely take place at the end of the combat lessons at the latest. You expected to be relieved when this whole mess was left behind and you divorced Levi to return to your normal life. Except your old life was forever lost and living with the scouts had become your normal life. Yet even if you could, after going through Levi's training, join the scouts and continue living with your friends, doing so as Levi's ex-wife didn't seem very appealing.

"Wake up, airhead, this is no time to be daydreaming, pay attention!" Levi demanded and snapped you back into reality. "Come over here, I'll teach you how to clean corners, they can be tricky." 

You tried to stumble over, try being the key word, and you ended up twisting your ankle painfully and falling to the floor. Unknown to you until then, Sasha had stumbled into the mess hall like a zombie, muttering "breakfast" instead of 'brains' and witnessed the event. She good naturedly went over to see if you were alright. "Are you ok, (Name?)"

"Yeah," you decided it was best to stay on the floor until you took off the deadly shoes. "I just tripped." Wanting to clear your head of your thoughts of divorce as well as get back at Levi a little, you pouted. "It was Levi's fault, he distracted me."

Levi glared, he hated when the cadets observed him, waiting for him to be sweet to you, pressuring him with their eyes. However, instead of giving Levi a look of disapproval, Sasha laughed. "That's a good thing, it would be bad if your husband couldn't distract you."

Your jaw dropped, you had metaphorically inserted your foot in your mouth. "Yeah, I guess," you felt compelled to agree.

"Change your shoes, you don't want to get distracted and fall again, do you?" Levi reminded in the most fake tone of forced sweetness you had ever heard.

You considered insisting on going barefoot, just to unnerve him, but decided not to push his buttons that much or he might make the cleaning lessons worse for you. Without another word, you picked up your heels and started walking back to Levi's, that is Levi and your, room, barefoot, to get a pair of more comfortable shoes. You could at least unnerve him a little bit with the excuse of not wanting to fall.

"And wash your feet!" Levi called out as you headed out of the mess hall.

"Excuse me, Captain Levi, sir," Sasha inquired hopefully. "Who's on breakfast duty today?"

"No one," Levi cruelly replied.

Sasha looked like she was about to cry. "(Name)..." she whimpered, like a child whining to her mother about her father's harsh punishment.

"Just go make breakfast yourself!" Levi finally snapped.

Sasha immediately brightened and saluted cheerfully, "yes, sir!" Then she happily ran off to the kitchen, miraculously fully awake by now.

A few minutes later, you returned to the mess hall after having changed your shoes and yes, washed your feet. "Took you long enough," Levi critiqued, then walked over to the corner of the room.

You picked up your mop, which you had left leaning against the wall and joined him at the corner. He then began to explain several techniques to get rid of all the dust, which you found to be quite boring. Your eyes idly glanced around the mess hall and you realized that all the trash from the party had already been picked up and all that needed to be done was clean. You could totally picture Levi getting up super early just to clean last night's mess. 

By the time you looked back at the corner, Levi had wrapped a cloth around the handle end of the mop and had it upside-down demonstrating a trick to get to those hard to reach areas without having to crawl all over the floor. "Did you get all that?"

"Yes, sensei!" You saluted.

"Then why haven't you done it?" Levi asked suspiciously.

"Oh, right, I just take a cloth and tie it around the other end of the mop..." You glanced around for a cloth and spotted one in a bucket of cleaning supplies, another bucket filled with water was next to it. You picked it up and tried to tie it around the mop's handle like Levi did, but you failed miserably. 

"Pay attention this time," Levi took your cleaning supplies and demonstrated the right way to do this, then handed them back to you. You stepped towards the corner, holding the mop upside-down like a spear, ready to stab the area were the two walls and the floor met. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

You looked at the mop, the cloth and the corner, "oh, right, water, so the dust sticks to the cloth." You dipped the mop in water and once again got into position, but stopped when Levi groaned in exasperation. "What's wrong this time?"

He removed the bandana from around his neck and tossed it at you. "You're going to get dust all over your hair if you don't cover it. I don't require the cadets to do it, but since I am personally giving you a cleaning lesson, I expect you to go the extra mile."

You attempted to tie the piece of fabric around your head and once again failed miserably. You were still fumbling with it when Levi lost his patience and took it out of your hands. He folded it properly and tied it around your head himself. It only took a second, but that second was enough for you to notice how close he was standing and be sent on a flashback of last night under the mistletoe. You immediately turned your attention to the corner, in hopes that your blush was less obvious if you were looking away, or that in light of your effort to be a good student Levi would choose to ignore it.

After getting the corners cleaned there was still the rest of the floor to mop. Levi demonstrated the proper way to do so and you followed his example as best you could. Levi was not satisfied and felt the need to point out you were supposed to clean the floor, not stab it to death with the mop. Then he criticized that you were forming an arch with the mop motions rather than moving in a straight line. You continued trying to modify your movements, but he called them too much like a zig-zag. 

You weren't sure why mopping patterns were so important, he wasn't this picky with the cadets, though he did often criticize the results of their cleaning efforts. Perhaps he was somehow teaching you to properly judge distance with this simple exercise in an effort to hammer into your head the basic skills your childhood deprived you of?

"(Name), concentrate, you're all over the place. What's wrong with you today? You're more distracted than usual." Oh no, he noticed. You offered no reply, steeled your resolve and tried to move the mop in a straight and even pattern. "Better, but not quite right," Levi acknowledged. He stood behind you, reaching around you left and right to grasp the handle of the mop, his hands over yours. He moved the cleaning implement from side to side in demonstration. 

Your arms went limp and you allowed him to guide the mop in what he claimed was the proper pattern. You could see the rhythm of it now, as if moving to the tune of imaginary music, left and right, stepping back as you went until the motions stopped. "Looks like you're finally getting the hang of it, it's about time." Levi concluded. You could feel him standing right behind you, his breath tickling the back of your neck as he spoke.

Then he stepped aside nonchalant and inquired, "is there something you wanted to say, cadet Sasha?"

Sasha, who had been standing at the doorway to the mess hall unnoticed by you, squeaked as she was discovered and stepped forward. "I was just wondering if you wanted some breakfast." She was holding a tray with two portions of breakfast food, which she set down on the table nearest to her. "Well, I'm going to go um... wash the dishes I used." Then she escaped from the mess hall, as if she thought she was interrupting something. The talk later reached your ears about how cute you and Levi looked cleaning together.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cleaning lessons finally happened, yay for continuity!
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	27. Chapter 27: Fluffy

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 27: Fluffy

It was a new day and winter was clearly showing. The white snow reminded you of a painting your father kept when you lived at Sina. It was a beautiful painting of a woman with long white hair, tinted in various colors, like the aurora was depicted in forbidden books about the outside world. She wore a dress with the colors of the sunset and was looking longingly into the distance. Your father had come up with the description of the painting and commissioned a well known artist for it. When you had asked if the woman was based on anyone, he had told you it was a painting of your mother. 

Today, the majority of the scouts were out training, despite the cold weather. Erwin had taken them out to do some exercises to make sure the lack of missions lately didn't make them get out of practice. As soon as the cold let out and spring began to show its first signs of arrival, the scouts had another mission planned outside of the safety of Rose. 

The base was left with only you and Levi, who was busy with his winter cleaning, because spring cleaning was too far away to wait for it. Besides, he didn't like it when people neglected their cleaning during the winter with the excuse that they would clean everything when spring came.

You were, as expected, recruited into the cleaning efforts and taught some more techniques, which Levi insisted that you recite back to him to make sure you were paying attention. In short, it was exhausting, but you were still thankful for the company, the base would have a very gloomy atmosphere if you had been left completely alone.

"(Name) make sure you bathe your dog," Levi reminded as he, in true neat freak nature, cleaned the cleaning supplies.

"Ok," you didn't protest and went off to find Fluffy. You weren't sure where in the world the pink poodle had ran off to, you haven't seen her all day. You checked her food and water dishes and found that the meal you left for her had been consumed, but the canine was nowhere to be seen.

"Fluffy! Here, girl! Fluffy!" You called as you searched for your missing pet. It took you a good while, but you searched all over the base and you still couldn't find her. Frowning in concern, you looked outside, finding that you had accidentally left the backdoor open after you took out the trash. "Fluffy! C'mon, it's cold out here!" 

You heard whimpering and, cold weather aside, ran outside towards the source of the sound. Fluffy was scratching as at rock that was visible beyond the thin layer of snow. Her paws were muddy and the refined pooch was whining because of it, she seemed to be unharmed though. You rolled your eyes, at least this was better than having her roll around in the mud, such behavior had long since been trained out of her during her younger years. 

"It's ok, girl, I'll get you cleaned up." You picked her up, carrying her with her back to you, so her dirty paws would be facing forward instead of towards you, and went back inside. You returned to Levi's room, intending to use the adjacent bathroom, too tired from the day's cleaning spree to consider that Levi might not want you to bathe Fluffy in the bathroom he usually used. "It's a good thing you've been taught to be so clean, or else Levi might not have let me keep you." You conversed with the dog as you walked. It was silly, but strangely entertaining.

You reached your destination, opened the bathroom door and froze. Levi's eyes locked on yours, then you dropped the dog and screamed as you dashed out, the image of the naked Levi burned into your brain. Fluffy was startled and started running like mad, barking for no reason and chasing you as if to defend you from whatever invisible terror assaulted you, as the dog could not understand the real cause of your distress.

"(Name!)" Levi screamed in a fit of both wrath and panic as you realized how dirty Fluffy's paws were. "Your stupid mutt is getting mud all over the place!" He had just finished cleaning the base top to bottom, this was a catastrophe. He didn't have time to concern himself with what you might have seen, minimizing the damage done by the rampaging muddy pawed dog was more important, so he grabbed the first towel he could get his hands on and dashed out in Fluffy's pursuit.

You had stopped screaming, but you were still running aimlessly as your mind raced to come up with some kind of apology for Levi. What if he was furious? What if he was convinced you were a pervert? What if... 'No, no, don't think about abs, think about apologies!' You mentally berated yourself.

You had made it downstairs and were running around in panicked circles in front of the main door. Fluffy had gone off in a different direction, vaguely following Eren's scent, blaming him for your fright, even if he wasn't around at the time. Then she picked up the scent of the real Eren and dashed down the stairs. The main door opened and you tripped, falling down for the returning cadets to see. Fluffy darted down the stairs with Levi in close pursuit. She jumped towards Eren, but Levi caught her in mid air before she could reach him.

After the chase had ended, the world stood still as if time itself had frozen. Then finally, you hurried to get up while Levi calmly explained, "we cleaned up the place, so try not to get it dirty." He offered no other explanation to the wide eyed cadets before he glanced in your direction and ordered. "(Name) clean up your dogs muddy paw prints." Then he walked off to give Fluffy a bath himself, as he had determined you were too incompetent to do so. He disappeared up the stairs nonchalantly, as if he wasn't clad in only a small towel.

As soon as Levi was out of sight, everyone's gazes shifted to you and you could have sworn you perceived some mischievous snickers in the crowd. Unable to find your voice, you silently retreated, tripped at the base of the stairs, got up in a rush, and hurried away from the curious looks and silent assumptions.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another scene that I had in mind early on. When I first got the idea for this story, it was going to be composed of an introductory chapter, which later became the flashback scenes in chapters 3 and 4, and a few one-shots that took place in that setup. In the end, the plot bunnies took over and the story grew a plot, so I ended up with a lot more material than what I originally intended. We are now officially part the mid point, as this story is planned to have 53 chapters. Keep logging in every day for a new chapter! I've pretty much put my video games and everything else on hiatus for this story, that's how powerful plot bunnies are.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	28. Chapter 28: Battle

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 28: Battle

You squirmed uncomfortably and stared at the wall as if you could drill a hole through it and use it to escape your life. You had been meaning to apologize to Levi, but couldn't get yourself to look at him in the face and didn't want to sound insincere. Besides, you had discovered that things such as abs and other body parts provided very distracting imagery when trying to compose coherent sentences in your head. You've also learned that a picture was worth way more than a thousand words.

"Stay still," Levi complained. It was the end of the day and the two of you were ready to get some sleep. Well, he was ready to sleep, you were certainly not. 

You were once again back to back on the bed that was too small for two people to sleep in it without invading each others personal space. You had moved as close to the edge as you could get without falling off the bed, but it wasn't helping make you any more coherent than you were immediately after the incident. You supposed the shock would pass, you couldn't be driven insane by your experience forever, but right now it was hard not to think about it. You had already been confused enough as it was after the kiss and now this. 

You tried your best to stay still, but you knew you wouldn't be able to sleep until you said something. "I'm sorry," you rambled. "It was an accident, I swear, I didn't know you were in there, honest!"

"I know, your scream of terror made that much clear, now go to sleep," Levi's reply wasn't quite as angry as you expected. You didn't sense any murderous intent in his words or even as much as a hint of vengeful intentions.

You went over his words again, scream of terror? Had you offended him? Did he assumed you thought he was ugly? No, that couldn't be true, no one could look like that and not be aware of how hot he is. No, wait, bad train of thought, shut up, shut up, shut up! You took a deep breath and tried to concentrate in measuring your words. "It wasn't exactly terror, more like shock," you clarified. "I was surprised and was worried that you would hate me for being too stupid to knock on the door first." You paused, considering the situation from a new angle. "Why didn't you lock it?"

Levi shrugged, "never had the need." That made sense. No one would dare to enter his room without permission and they had to get across the room to get to the bathroom. 

"Well, anyway, I'm sorry..." You repeated, then made yourself shut up before you started rambling again.

"I forgive you, now shut up and go to sleep," Levi replied, clearly hoping that this was the end of the conversation. 

You noticed you were making a much bigger fuss about it than him and told yourself that it was ok. Levi didn't hate you, he wasn't acting any different, so neither should you. You realized that you were about to fall off the bed and considered scooting closer to the middle, to reclaim the rest of your half. You did so, resolving that it would be worse if you fell off in the middle of the night, yelled before you could stop yourself and woke Levi then. 

You moved to claim your full share of the bed, accidentally touching Levi's back with yours. You froze, but he didn't move or make any notion of the little accident. You took note of how still he was and his even breaths and realized he had already fallen asleep. All that cleaning must have really taken it out of him, and he had gotten up really early too. You focused on the quiet rhythm of his breaths, it was somehow relaxing. Though you didn't think it to be possible, very soon you had fallen asleep.

xoxox xox xoxox

You went to visit your father every now and then. One day, you asked him a question that made him pause. "Father, how did you and mother fall in love?" You didn't know the reason for his sudden surprise, but he waited in silence for a moment as if you would offer further explanations. The question was simple enough, so you didn't elaborate, instead giving him a puzzled look.

Finally, your father smiled and began his reply. "Your mother was very sweet and kind. She had a beautiful voice and an air of elegance. She was different from any other lady of Sina I had ever met, and at the time I didn't really know many people outside of Sina. Of course, I wasn't the only man who was captivated by her, but I wasn't about to give up. I brought her roses often and talked to her as much as I could. I listen to what she had to say, and the more I understood her, the more I fell in love. It took time, but I finally managed to win her heart. I remember when I asked her to marry me, I thought I would die that day."

"Because it was so exciting?" You asked with interest.

"Because my most stubborn rival, stabbed me in the back, literally." That was not the answer you were expecting. Your father laughed lightly, "I survived and I'm here now. It was quite a rude interruption, but it worked out in the end. Your mother was unsure about accepting my proposal because she knew her life would not be a long one, even if I tried to tell her that even a short time would be precious. When she thought I was deadly injured, she realized what I meant and decided that she wanted to spend as much time as she could with me, just as much as I with her. She taught me to live in the moment, rather than in the past or future, though I sometimes wonder how well I learned..."

"Wow, that's like something right out of a novel! So, what ever happened to your rival? did he ever bother you again? Did you get revenge?" You asked curiously.

"Oh no, your mother would always say that keeping anger and bitterness in the heart only steals away happiness. I don't know what ever happened to Julius, last I heard he was arrested, but I never bothered keeping up with any news about him," your father reminisced. "There were other difficulties after that. Your uncle didn't want your mother to marry at all, claiming that the possibility of childbirth would shorten her life. But after we married, she kept insisting that she wanted a child, that her life would be short anyway and she wanted to leave a part of her behind. I didn't see my brother in law often back then, he refused to talk to me and I've only ever caught glimpses of him from afar. He came around later though, your mother was very ill by then and hardly recognized anyone. Occasionally, she would say my name or yours, though she never recognized her brother, I guess it was because they had spent the last few years apart." The story had been both tragic and fascinating. It was a story you would not forget.

xoxox xox xoxox

The cleaning lessons came and went along with the end of the year, though the scouts new year festivities were very tame after the incident of the Christmas party. Your combat lessons started along with the new year. It was still cold outside, so you and Levi went to a vacant room to practice.

"Let's start with something easy," Levi announced, though you were inclined not to believe him. "Land one hit."

"One hit..." you repeated in confusion, surely he didn't think you'd be incapable of just that. "Ok..." You dashed across the room and tried to punch him, but Levi swiftly evaded your fist and kicked your legs from under you. "Ow..." Clearly, this was going to be harder than it looked.

"Your stance is pitiful, you're knocked out of balance too easily, get up," Levi urged with impatience.

You scrambled to your feet and tried to pay attention as he corrected your posture. The training session when on like that until you were at least staying on your feet for a good while. You still haven't been able to land a single punch or kick though. You tried to be unpredictable, throwing hits as fast as you could and dodging Levi's attempts to throw you off balance, but you could only dodge for so long before you were on the floor again.

You were starting to get frustrated and tried hard to stay firmly planted on your feet. You got an odd sensation on your legs, but it wasn't pain. You realized that though the first few times the titan mist had appeared it hurt, the last time it did, there was no pain. Now the mist was gone entirely, but your legs felt as if they were more firmly planted on the floor. 

The next time Levi tried to kick your legs from under you he stopped for some reason, the hit came into contact, but there was seemingly little effort behind it. You took that opportunity and threw a punch, he moved his head aside, but your fist still managed to brush against the side of his face. Exhausted, seeing that he had stopped moving, you asked, "does that count?" You didn't think it did and didn't wait for him to point it out. "No? How come you stopped?"

"Interesting..." Levi regarded you curiously, then without warning he picked you up bridal style and bounced you a little in his arms, as if testing your weight. "So that's what it is." He set you back on your feet. 

"What was that for?" At least you could attribute your blush to the exercise you had been doing.

"Titans are not dense at all, they're actually very light for their size." Levi stated and you nodded, recalling that Hange had mentioned that before. "It might be the opposite for you, rather than gaining a light giant armor, your body becomes more dense and thus stronger. I didn't see any mist, but the mist was very thin when you were kicking that guy in the alley and your kicks seemed to be getting progressively stronger. Even if you don't look any different on the outside, something must have changed on the inside."

You thought about his theory and it made sense, plus your legs did feel heavier, though the extra weight seemed to be dissipating. You had heard that humans were about as dense as water and when you thought of water, you didn't think of something particularly solid. 

"Maybe you should talk to the boy," Levi suggested.

"Tony?" You considered it. 

"Children are very adaptable and the modifications were done when he was still a baby," Levi reminded. "He never really needed to get used to something new, this is how things were for him from the start."

"Good point, Tony's a smart kid, even if he's young, he might have already figured this out. Either way, I think it'll be a good idea to talk to him. If this hasn't already happened to him, it might in the future." So it was decided, you would go see Tony.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More combat training is to come and things will get... interesting. ;)
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	29. Chapter 29: Hope

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 29: Hope

You felt odd returning to Sina, having left Rose very early in the morning. It was as if it wasn't your place anymore. The ninja guards let you into Mona Lisa's mansion, the main Gardenia estate. You wondered if any of them were present during the chase, serving their past master. Mona greeted you with cheer, you noticed that she didn't look any different, maybe the baby was just taking its time. She swiftly took you to Tony without protest, you were informed that Gustav was away on business. Levi wanted to talk to Mona about something or other, you weren't paying attention. They went off to some tea room or something and you were left in Tony's room. The boy was all too happy to see a familiar face and hugged you, drowning you in a million questions about his parents, your father and even Fluffy.

You felt numb, this wasn't the joyful reunion you were expecting to have with the boy who was like a little brother to you. None the less, you managed to reassure him. You told him about the bakery and atelier, about Rose, the good things about Rose anyway. He seemed convinced he was being raised to fight for humanity, that this was right for him and his parents would be proud. You knew Artie and Melinda just wanted him to be safe, regardless of if he grew up to be regarded as a hero or not.

After the small talk went on for a while, you eventually got to the point and told Tony you were like him. He seemed excited that he wasn't the only 'super warrior' as he called it. "Are you already fighting for humanity? Do you protect everyone from the titans? What's it like outside the walls?"

"I'm still in training," you pointed out. "This is all very new to me, you actually have more experience than me, since you've had these abilities all your life and I've only had them for a little over four months. I actually wanted to ask you something..." You tried to explain things in ways that didn't sound too complicated. 

Tony understood what you meant when you asked if he could make himself stronger. "You just concentrate on where you want to be stronger, like your arms, or legs, and when you start feeling heavier it means it works, it doesn't really look any different though, you have to feel it." You continued the discussion of abilities and how to control them. It seemed Tony knew by instinct, it was true that it was easier for him to control his abilities because this is all he ever knew.

In the end, you were relieved. You had obtained some good insight and confirmed that Tony was alright. He was living in luxury and had all the toys and food he could ever want. He was guarded by the ninja, until he was old enough and strong enough so that he no longer needed it, until he was ready to join the scouts. Yet, there was still a sadness to him that he tried to hide, as if hoping that if he ignored it, it would go away. "Are mama, papa, and lord (Lastname) coming to visit soon too?"

You didn't know how to answer that in any other way but to say "they'll be here as soon as they can, I'm sure they miss you and want to see you very soon." You believed every word, you knew it to be true. What you didn't understand was why the visit hadn't happened, though with some more thought you realized it had to be because of the danger. Mona wouldn't stop them from visiting, but she didn't exactly encourage it, since she wanted Tony to give all the credit of raising a hero to her when the time came. If Melinda and Artie got themselves killed trying to see their son now, it would only make things worse in the long run, so no matter how much they wanted to see him, they had to be smart about it. 

You didn't stay over, instead leaving a mere hour after your arrival. Whatever Levi and Mona Lisa talked about while you were with Tony, she didn't seemed pleased. Your mind was too filled with other thoughts to ask about it though, so you didn't. You left along with Levi, and arrived at the Survey Corps base late that night. You went straight to bed, feeling a sense of security at Levi's quiet presence next to you. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Several things occurred in the next few weeks. You and Levi went over to see your father, Artie and Melinda, with the conversations being fairly civilized for the most part. Of course, in the end Levi and your father ended up arguing about stains and stain removal in an odd exchange of threats and defenses. 

You had accompanied Eren, Mikasa and Armin on a few errands. Eren was in control of his abilities and Levi knew that, so he let him walk around with as many legitimate excuses as he could come up with, though only after he had become certain it wasn't dangerous. The titan shifter was never to go out alone though, and his two best friends were always all too happy to accompany him. 

The rumor had gotten around that your father was broke and people whispered that's the only reason why you married a scout, because you could no longer call yourself a lady of Sina. Hypocrites, they lived in Rose too and there was nothing wrong with that. At least no one had any interest in trying to kidnap you anymore.

The more surprising news was that Mona Lisa claimed a large portion of land. Gustav had a lot of family among the farmers, who weren't too happy with the merchants that previously owned the land. They sabotaged the products to force a sale to go through and Mona Lisa was all too happy to make the purchase. She claimed that the stress of worrying about all the farmers of Rose had left her in a delicate state of health that cause her to lose the baby. You didn't think there was a baby after all. 

The connection came to light, it was true that Mona was not who you thought she was. Just as you were warned, it turned out that she was using Gustav. You wondered how he was faring, as Mona demanded more produce from the farmers and made their lives much more difficult than before. You feared that poor Gustav had been tossed in a dungeon somewhere. You also feared that Tony would defy Mona and suffer the consequences.

One day, when you and Levi were visiting, he and your father had gotten into a discussion, not an argument, but an actual discussion about stains and stain removal. You let them be, since they were being polite about it. It was the late evening, as you had gone over for dinner, so the shops were closed. Artie was downstairs finishing the cleanup and setting things up for tomorrow's early morning baking, while you were upstairs talking to Melinda. She was right in the middle of a sentence, saying something about a peculiar dress design a client had requested, when she started crying uncontrollably. You didn't know what to do, she knew you had seen Tony, though that was some time ago, and he was alright, but that served as less of a consolation as more time went by. 

You were trying to comfort Melinda when Artie went upstairs to find the scene. He attempted to reassure her but ended up in just as much a desperate state. This was so difficult to see and you wished you could help him. "Tony is going to be a scout, it's only a matter of time before he moved into the base. Once he lives there, you'll be able to visit him every day and when he's out on the field, Levi can make sure he's safe... And so will I," you offered, yet that time seemed too far away. "Maybe we can convince Mona that it would be best to start his training when he's young. If it's to make him into a legendary hero, she'll have to agree. We can use that as an excuse to have him move in with the scouts!" The prospect brought hope to Artie and Melinda and that hope was the only thing that pushed them to hold on to their sanity.

After they were as calm as you could get them to be, you let them have a moment to themselves and headed downstairs and found Levi and your father looking over some sketches at the bakery counter. The sketches looked like soap bottles of some sort. Your father wasn't an expert on the subject, since he had someone to take care of the cleaning for him his whole life until recently. Albeit your father was as clean as it was proper for a normal person to be, you didn't think he would share Levi's fascination with cleaning supplies, you considered yourself to be a clean person yourself and you weren't particularly impressed by cleaning supplies after all. You smiled, thinking that your father was making an effort to be polite and maybe even trying to make friends with Levi. You held on to that little bit of hope, because hope was what kept you sane too.

xoxox xox xoxox

That night, you told Levi about Tony. You felt silly talking to him in bed while facing away from each other, so you turned over. Feeling the movement, he turned over to face you as well. 

"I couldn't convince her." Levi revealed. So that's what he had been talking about that day. "I was counting more so on Gustav to be our connection than Mona, but who knows what happened to him. If he doesn't turn up soon, I'll be inclined to suspect he's dead."

You gasped at the theory. "Dead? Would Mona really...?" You couldn't even finish the question.

"It's only a suspicion at this point, but it's possible," Levi truthfully replied, his face serious. "She's worse than anyone ever guessed, it was a bad idea to escort her that night. We might have been better off letting her father capture her back then, but it's too late now." His frustration was evident. "We messed up, we were trying to make things easier for the scouts and we messed up. We're threading on thin ice now, Mona is pushing for a budget reduction and the merchants are all too happy to have less taxes to pay. They don't think the scouts are profitable enough. They just want to hide behind these walls forever, without freedom," you caught a glimpse of a side of Levi he rarely let out. A side that you knew had to be there, it had to be in every scout, the thirst for freedom that Eren declared at the top of his lungs. It was mixed with the frustration of knowing that it was very difficult to obtain and an unbreakable determination to claim it anyway.

"We won't let it happen, the scouts will go on and will succeed," you were in no position to be saying those things and you knew it, but you wanted to change that. "I know I shouldn't be one to talk, I'm not doing anything, but I want to. I want to join, I want to fight alongside my friends, I want freedom too!" 

"Then you better be ready to go through my training, you have potential, but I won't let you join until you bring it out," Levi challenged.

"I'll do it," you assured, accepting the challenge. Something had changed, something had awakened, and once again, there was no going back.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally seeing some development around here. I did say it would take time...
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	30. Chapter 30: Preparations

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 30: Preparations

The combat training had become more difficult and more ODM training was added to the program. You had fallen so many times, you were wondering if you would ever get the necessary balance to use ODM gear. At least you could regularly land a few hits when sparring with Levi now, which meant you were making some progress, even if you still thought he was inhumanly fast. 

You tried to make yourself stronger to land a really good hit and focused your energy on your entire body. There was no mist, that time had long since ended, but you could feel the very fibers of your being becoming more dense, your hits more solid. It was also a lot harder to knock you down like this, allowing you to mount a relentless attack. 

You finally had Levi nearly out of breath, you had never managed to push him this much before. Just a little more and you would win. You put everything you had into one last punch but Levi evaded it by a hair, your fist instead colliding with the wall behind him, at least you had managed to back him up quite a bit, but you were tired, so tired. Your breaths were ragged and you felt yourself get light again, your legs barely able to support you.

"Your abilities won't do you any good if you don't pace yourself," Levi pointed out.

"I'll be fine..." you gasped to feed your starving lungs. "Just let me... catch my breath."

You weren't sure what happened, but in a split second, you had switched places and you were trapped against the wall. "The enemy won't give you that chance. You can't assume that your next battle will be the last you need to fight before you can rest. You need to be prepared to continue fighting, you can't let your energy become this low because you're impatient to land one good hit."

"I... understand," you gasped, wishing that the world would stop spinning.

"At least you're learning to control your abilities, now the problem is that you're using them too much," Levi gestured towards the spot on the wall you had punched.

You stared at it and placed your closed hand into the indentation, matching it's shape. "I did that?" You were sure you had landed a few good hits, how did Levi even continue fighting after that? He'd probably be bruised later, though he seemed more interested in your progress than in that detail. Perhaps he really was inhumanly strong, but so were you.

The training session was interrupted when Eren, Mikasa and Armin rushed into the room with declarations of denial and disbelief being tossed back and forth between them. Mikasa said something along the lines of 'only a lowlife would break a woman's heart' while Eren reaffirmed his disbelief and Armin desperately tried to calm the tensions and push forward the idea of dialogue.

"Quiet!" Levi ordered. He looked over the faces staring at him, the three cadets were not alone, identical twin lawyers you recognized as the Itadaki brothers were with them. Levi decided that Armin was the most coherent of the three cadets at the moment, so he address him first, "Armin, what is this about?"

"Well... Captain Levi... sir..." Armin shifted nervously while Mikasa and Eren observed, the Itadaki brothers watched as well, their identical expressions becoming increasingly impatient. "These gentlemen say that they're here to process the divorce documents for you and (Name). We tried to tell them it was a mistake, but they insisted in speaking to the two of you in person."

"I didn't call them," you quietly voiced. Of course this had to be coming, it was only logical, yet you still felt shocked by it. 

Mikasa looked serious, her eyes threatening murder, while Eren gave Levi a sad hopeful look, as if begging him to restore his faith in him. "I didn't call them either," Levi truthfully replied.

You let out a breath of relief that you didn't even know you were holding, and the atmosphere around the cadets relaxed noticeably. "I knew it," Eren declared with certainty, "it was all one big misunderstanding."

"We never claimed either Mr. Ackerman or Mrs. Ack- Miss (Lastname), called us," one of the twins pointed out. 

"We're here by the request of lor- Mr. (Lastname)," the other brother explained.

You knew you shouldn't be surprised. It was still disappointing though, since Levi and your father finally seemed to be getting along, bonding over stains, stain removal techniques and cleaning product bottle designs.

"He arranged for this months ago," one of the lawyers explained.

"Even before the marriage was signed," the other lawyer added.

"Have you spoken to him recently?" Levi calmly questioned.

The two lawyers looked at each other in realization. "No," they admitted in unison.

"Looks like he set up the divorce and forgot about it, I suggest you confirm this kind of thing with your client before taking action," Levi summarized.

The Itadaki brothers stared and you couldn't help it but to stare also. "Then there will be no divorce?" One of them inquired.

"Your services are not needed here," Levi stated coolly.

The Itadaki brothers huffed in perfect sync. "No refunds!" They unanimously declared, before exiting the room and heading out of the scouts base.

"I get it now," Eren nodded in understanding. "(Name)'s father must have been initially opposed to the marriage when it was being planned and was sure that it would end in a divorce. But that was months ago, he must have forgotten to cancel the divorce procedures and the lawyers didn't even bother talking to him about it again."

You nodded, playing along, though you weren't exactly sure why Levi was playing along too. "Yes, that's right. There's nothing to worry about now, father and Levi are getting along just fine."

The three cadets nodded in satisfaction and went about their daily routine. Once again you were left alone with Levi, a million questions floating through your mind. "Um... Levi... How come...?" You left the question hanging and you studied his face, he had a very good poker face as you could gather no clues from his usual neutral expression. 

"It would lower their morale if we divorce now. We have a scouting mission coming up as soon as winter lets up," Levi explained. Morale, of course, wait, did that mean that you would get divorced after that mission was done? You weren't even sure you wanted to ask, so you remained silent. "I'm actually fairly certain that Eren's theory is right and that your father set up the divorce and forgot about it with all that happened afterwards. I doubt he would have any complaints about things staying as they are for a while longer if we explain the reasoning behind it."

You nodded, "yeah, I think you're right."

"Well, you've rested enough, it's time to stop being lazy. I won't go easy on you this time," Levi warned. You found it hard to believe he was going easy on you before. Thus the training continued.

xoxox xox xoxox

Time passed and your training went on, fighting on the ground was a lot easier than in the air. At least you were making some pretty good progress on hand to hand combat, though your ODM skills still needed a lot of work. You could more or less balance yourself, but getting the hooks to do what you wanted was another story. 

The scouts' budget was being reduced and the price of food was going up due to the low level of produce that could be obtained in the winter. A contingency plan was put into motion though, in the most unexpected way. You soon found out that the stain discussions that had become more frequent between Levi and your father were not just their peculiar version of small talk. They were getting ready to form a business venture and Levi had been perfecting his formula this whole time. 

Your father struck a deal with the scouts, he would work for Levi, marketing his new all purpose liquid soap with a secret recipe and in return he would not be arrested for his past actions. It could be seen as illegal blackmail, but Erwin had called the deal, "more beneficial than an arrest." You wondered if Erwin had made other similar deals like this in the past. 

Your father was a business expert and the only reason he went broke was because of the impossibly large sums of money that he spent due to his brother in law. Materials, hush money, bribery for the mafia, it was too much. It was a miracle that he lasted for as many years in the business as he did, anyone else wouldn't have lasted half as long.

You realized no one had been pushing your father to reveal the information he promised and you wondered if it had already been done, his relative freedom instead warranted by his marketing services. You suspected that the man who had delivered your cure was your uncle, but you didn't know who he was or where he could be at the moment. You asked about it and were told that all would be known after the soap contract was signed, that was when your father promised to reveal everything. The soap formula had to be just right for it to be the success the scouts needed to get out of the red numbers winter had put them in. They wouldn't have a second chance, so Levi the neat freak perfectionist had to make sure it was perfect.

You had settled into a new routine, living with the scouts, talking to your friends and training with Levi, training a lot. When February rolled around it felt only natural that chocolates would be exchanged among the scouts and as everyone expected, among a certain couple of which you were one half of. You had fun making chocolates with Mikasa, who claimed she was preparing friendship chocolates for Eren and Armin, though Eren's looked much more like love chocolates. Those two liked each other and everyone knew it, it was only a matter of time before they openly admitted it to each other, but there was no need to rush, let them enjoy their silly game of cat and mouse, in the end the result seemed inevitable. 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, the scouts and their OTPs. XD I've been dropping hints for various things that will happen later. This chapter is directly related to something Levi will say in Chapter 53 (the last scene is written, I just need to finish the stuff inbetween). The quote starts with "I almost" and it puts this chapter into perspective.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	31. Chapter 31: Risk

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 31: Risk

The day came for the scouts to go on a mission outside of wall Rose. A few people had gathered around to watch them leave, you included of course. You were still in training, so you couldn't go with them, but you could at least see them off. Among a blur of good wishes and hopes for a safe return, the gates opened and the scouts went out. 

Just as the last horse crossed the threshold and the guards prepared to close the gates, Fluffy ran off from your side. She had always been obedient and never needed a leash, so you were taken by surprise and were unable to grab her in time. "Fluffy, get back here!"

It was too late, someone stopped you and the gates closed. "I'm sorry (Name), I can't let you go out there." You recognized the man who had stopped you as Dot Pixis.

"She's going to die out there," you realized. You had been convincing yourself that all your friends would return safely, that they were strong and they could handle the titan battles, then your stupid dog had to go and run off. "I don't understand, she never runs off like this when I walk her."

"It's a sad turn of events," Dot tried to be understanding. "Dogs are rare in Rose and a pink one would surely seem odd. I'm sure that if any of the escorts meant to assist the scouts as they get into formation see her and there are no larger threats around, they'll pick her up. I'll make sure she's returned to you if that's the case."

"Ok... Thanks... I should go back home now," you ran away. Stupid Fluffy, one of the few reminders of your old home you had and she had to get all suicidal. 

You returned to the scouts base, you considered going to see your father while the scouts were away, but you didn't want him to see you so distraught, he already worried about you enough as it was. The building looked depressingly empty with everyone gone. You supposed you could occupy yourself with some training, but you just didn't feel like it. 

Time dragged on as you lamented the morning's happenings and walked around the base aimlessly. You were startled when you heard the front door opening and went to see who it was. The scouts had returned earlier than you had expected. Hange was muttering something about partial hibernation and the signs of an early spring, though something about her was off. She wasn't excited or energetic, just numb. 

The other scouts weren't any different. Erwin received a few displeased looks, though whatever the scouts wanted to say to him had apparently already been said. Sasha was frowning as she dragged her feet absentmindedly, you'd think potatoes had gone extinct. Jean and Connie exchanged a few curses and words of frustration, agreeing on how much the general situation sucked. The mission had not gone well. 

They were only supposed to investigate, it wasn't supposed to be complicated. Armin had a very solemn expression, Mikasa looked conflicted and Eren was very upset. "We should have stayed, we should have searched!" Eren gritted his teeth in anger.

"Eren, that's enough, I will not warn you again," Erwin voiced with finality. You had never seen him take on such a tone with anyone. 

You kept looking at all their faces, wondering who would fail to be there. You noticed Mary Anne was missing and approached Mikasa with the question. "Mikasa, where's Mary?"

Mikasa frowned in anger, "dead," she replied simply.

You gasped, unable to let that information sink in. "The idiot broke formation and let the ambush right into the middle of the group," Jean accused.

"Ambush?!" Could titans even make ambushes?

"It wasn't an ambush," Hange pointed out. "A bunch of titans had huddled together during the winter cold and were partially dormant. She got too close and disturbed them, so they reacted."

"Then she led them to us!" Jean insisted.

"I don't think that was on purpose," Krista quietly pointed out, though no one seemed to acknowledge it, or rather, they all knew it and it wasn't enough.

"Stop it!" You shouted and the whole group fell silent, staring at you, some with perplexity and others with anger. "Mary was my friend, I should have talked to her, I should have made sure she wasn't overconfident. I failed her, but I will at least do this for her. Blaming someone who's dead won't change anything, so just stop, stop saying bad things about her!" Everyone was still staring at you, and the looks of anger spread among the crowd. "It's true," you defended, "nothing good can come of holding a grudge against the dead." You felt uncomfortable with everyone staring, as if not even your friends could understand your logic. 

"Levi, you understand what I'm saying, don't you?" You looked left and right, figuring that he was somewhere in the crowd. He wasn't exactly the tallest guy around, so you figured that you simply couldn't see him, but he was there. The looks of anger turned to pity and the realization spread among the scouts that the thought of him not being there had not occurred to you at all. You had a very bad feeling about this, "where's Levi?" Heads were lowered and no one dared to reply. "Where is he?" You demanded.

"I'm sorry, (Name)," Eren finally voiced, his anger, frustration and sadness was evident. "I'm so sorry."

"No way... He has to be here..." You stared at the scouts in disbelief.

A seemingly eternal moment passed until Erwin once again confirmed it with serious solemnity, "he did not come back with us."

"We didn't see him die," Eren pointed out. "His ODM gear was damaged in battle when he was trying to cover our retreat. I shouldn't have listened to him, I should have stayed. I couldn't see exactly what happened, but one of the hooks got stuck or something, he was swung into the air and the rope snapped. We don't know where he landed."

"Then he's out there?" You asked hopefully.

"And we should be looking for him!" Eren insisted. Several other voices joined his plea, expressing their desire to retrieve their missing comrade.

"That is enough," Erwin scolded. "I will not allow you to go to your graves. There is a large number of titans rampaging a few miles from the wall, we won't get far until they disperse. Levi would agree if he was here."

"He should be here," Eren growled. "I'm going-"

"Eren Yaeger," Erwin harshly reprimanded. "You are not to do anything unless you are ordered to do so. I warned you to control yourself-"

"Enough!" You interrupted before he could continue. "Stop yelling at him, you can't expect us to not be upset. I know we have to carry on, I know that's what Levi wants, but that doesn't mean we should abandon hope. We should-"

"(Name)," Erwin warned, "you should know your place, you are only a guest here." He knew you had come to have a influence on the scouts and right now that could be dangerous. "This conversation is over, everyone is to go to their room and rest, that's an order."

You were angry, so angry and frustrated you couldn't control yourself, but you had to. You wanted to hit someone, Erwin, the titans, anyone, so instead you punched the wall. A chorus of gasps erupted from the crowd and you realized you'd left a mark on the wall that an ordinary person shouldn't be able to leave. Without offering any explanation you pushed past everyone and headed outside, you had to get away, you needed to clear your head. Levi had to be out there, he had to be alive, you had to get him back.

You nearly ran into a surprise visitor, your past physician Dr. Fredrick Facio was just arriving. The doctor was back at Rose after completing his rounds at Sina and had dropped by to volunteer his medical abilities to the scouts as he sometimes did from time to time. "(Name)?" He exclaimed in joyous surprise, though he soon saw the tears in your eyes and frowned in concern. "What's wrong?" 

"Doctor..." You blinked in surprise, not expecting to run into him of all people. "Fred," you corrected yourself, as he wasn't your doctor anymore. "I'm sorry, I just got some bad news, Mary Anne is dead, and Levi is missing, and Fluffy's probably dead too and..." You took a deep breath, trying not to ramble incoherently. "Levi has to be alive, but he's outside of the wall and the gates are closed." 

Before Fred could even reply, another surprise guest arrived. "(Name), I regret to inform you, no one spotted... What had you called her? Oh yes, Fluffy." Dot Pixis had come all the way here to tell you he couldn't find your dog, apparently he was unaware that it wasn't the only loss you had suffer. He had initially assumed that was the cause of your distress when he saw you. 

Then an idea occurred to you. "Commander Pixis, is it okay if I go to the top of the wall, I want to look out from there."

"That's alright, but I doubt you'll find Fluffy," Dot admitted.

"I'm actually looking for Levi," you revealed, much to his surprise.

Erwin had finally managed to sent the upset cadets to their rooms and had joined you and Dot outside. Dot glanced at Erwin, the silent communication between them requesting and subsequently agreeing to give an explanation. Seeing your impatience written all over your face, Dot took a seal from his pocket, like those used on official documents and correspondence. "Here, go to the station at the wall and show them this. Tell them I said it was ok for you to go to my office on the top of the wall. You'll have a good view from there."

You received the seal, "thank you, commander Pixis! I'm sorry Fred, but I need to go now, I'll talk to you later." Without another moment to lose, you ran to the stables to get Knight and headed for the wall.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A noes, a cliffhanger! :o
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	32. Chapter 32: I'll Grant Your Wish

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 32: I'll Grant Your Wish (I Wish You Could Grant Mine)

A watch tower served as Dot Pixis' office which you were granted access to after presenting the seal. You placed the seal on the desk and looked out the window, using the telescope that was already set up next to it. There was also another telescope on the ceiling, but it only offered a slightly better view and a lot less privacy. You groaned in frustration, you weren't even sure where to look. You could only see so much before everything was lost to abandoned houses and ruins, you might spot a titan further ahead if there was any to be spotted, but a human might be too hard to distinguish from that distance. If Levi was out there, you wouldn't be able to spot him from here. Dot knew that for sure, but he humored you anyway. 

You sighed and stepped away from the telescope, Levi might never come back. They had not seen him die, but how could he make it back alone, on foot? If only you could bring him back yourself. Eren wanted to, but Erwin insisted it was too risky and if there really had been a large group of titans, then they might have been too much even for Eren. Besides, Eren might end up sentenced to death if the word reached Sina that he had disobeyed direct orders, things would already be difficult for him with Levi gone and he had to be in his best behavior. Eren wouldn't be too hard to convince though, but thinking about it made you feel like that would be using him, putting him at risk in ways that Levi himself would disapprove of.

If only you were a titan shifter, then you could go out there, sneak out, transform, keep it a secret. You observed the walls of the office. Certificates of various kinds lined the walls along with a few decorations, among which was a dagger. It wasn't a real weapon, it's ornamental handle was probably uncomfortable to grip, but it still looked sharp. You removed it from the wall and looked at it for a moment. Blood was the key for Eren's transformation, but it had never been your trigger. Though it was useless, you still tested the dagger's sharpness on your arm. The cut hurt and blood poured out from it, but the pain was soon gone, as your skin healed as if the cut had never been there. You tried again, hoping the result was different with no regard to how dangerous it would be if you did transform in your current location, you knew it wouldn't happen anyway.

The door opened and Mikasa rushed towards you in alarm, "no!" It a split second she had disarmed you, moving so quickly that you didn't even see her take the dagger away, but it was now in her hand instead of yours. She dropped it to the floor and insisted with worry, "don't do it, don't kill yourself."

Your eyes widened in realization. The scene really did look suspiciously like an attempted suicide, though that had never been your intention. "I wasn't..." you couldn't explain your logic without revealing secrets that would lead to suspicions and more secrets. You felt bad about hiding this from your friends, but you didn't want to drag them into your problems, so they were better off not knowing. "I wasn't thinking, I'm sorry."

"I considered it too," Mikasa admitted much to your surprise. "It was when I thought Eren was dead, but he was alive and even before I knew that, part of me was still trying to survive, even against my own choice to die. Eren's memory wouldn't let me die." You stared in surprise, you never knew something like that had happened to Mikasa, perhaps not even Eren knew. "Don't give up, you must never consider it, never give up!" She insisted.

You nodded, touched by her sincerity and the personal experience she shared. "I'm sorry, I won't give up, I promise." You assured. You looked at the dagger on the floor. "Please don't tell anyone." Mikasa picked up the dagger and began to clean the evidence off it. "They'll just worry." You glanced at the empty holder embedded on the wall as Mikasa put the dagger back on it. "Please..."

"I won't," Mikasa assured, "and..."

"I won't tell anyone either," you understood her silent request. You were concerned about her cleaning the blood off your arm. She would see that the cut was gone, but you didn't have the heart to push her away when she had been so concerned and shared something personal that probably no one else knew about. "It's ok, you don't need to do this, your handkerchief is getting dirty."

"Better make sure your cut is clean." It was too late, Mikasa wiped the blood off your arm and didn't see the cut that should still be there. 

"I'm sorry," you whispered. "I'm very sorry, but I can't explain this now. I will be able to one day." One day this nightmare had to be over and there would be no more secrets. 

Still, Mikasa couldn't help it but to ask, "are you...?"

"Not like Eren, I can't do what he does, I just heal, if it's not fatal anyway... I'm really sorry, I've said too much, please don't tell. It'll only get everyone into trouble," you pleaded.

Mikasa nodded in understanding. "I'll keep it a secret," she promised. As if suddenly remembering something, she glanced at the door and went to pick up what she dropped when she rushed towards you. "It's cold, so I brought you this. I took it from your room in a hurry. Sorry, I should have brought something else, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but..."

You took the scouts jacket, the wings emblem displayed on it, it was Levi's. "no, this is fine, thank you." You put it on, you hadn't really been paying attention to it, but you were very cold and the extra layer of fabric brought some much needed warmth. "Did you sneak out?"

"No, I went to Erwin and asked him to let me come talk to you. Eren and Armin wanted to come too, but there was no way Eren would be allowed to go out. He asked me to come in his place, he's convince he could have done something differently. Levi trusted him when the rest of the squad wouldn't, then they eventually learned to trust him too, but they might have killed him if Levi hadn't trusted him first. He feels like he couldn't return the favor of saving his life too," Mikasa explained.

"Then I should go talk to him," you decided. You knew Levi wouldn't want Eren to keep blaming himself and make a scene that would get him into trouble. 

xoxox xox xoxox

You returned to the base with Mikasa and did your best to reassure Eren. He was in his room with Armin when the two of you arrived. You reminded him Levi wouldn't want him to blame himself or cause any trouble. "You have a mission, remember? You're going to defeat all the titans and bring freedom to humanity. You'll get back at them all, but not if you lose yourself now. Just remember how calm Levi is even in tough situations. You didn't see him die, maybe he really is out there, and even if he's not," you knew you couldn't sugar coat it too much, or it would be worse in the long run. "You can at least, grant his wish, it's the same as yours, freedom." You wiped the tears from your face, you didn't want to cry, you were supposed to be reassuring. 

"Thank you," Eren finally spoke after a long moment of silence. 

Eren had taken your word as Levi's you realized, after all, you were supposed to know him very well, you were supposed to be the one who loved him the most and was suffering the most right now. If you could be reasonable at a time like this, anyone could. Then you realized you had to be, because if you fell apart, others would too, morale could be a fragile thing at times, but it was the key to endless strength. Morale shouldn't be based on a lie, but it didn't really matter anymore if Levi was your husband or not, you were almost certainly his widow by now, but you still had friends to fight for, people that he cared for too. Even if he wasn't always clear about it, you knew all the scouts were precious to Levi and you couldn't disregard what you believed would be his wishes.

There was a knock on the door. The group looked up curiously and Eren finally voiced a quiet, "come in." None of you expected to see Erwin there. You guessed that he was there to reprimand Eren for his earlier behavior, but Eren spoke first. "Commander, I'm sorry for the way I acted before. We scouts should be united, we need to see the bigger picture and stay calm. Acting rashly is not a risk we can afford to take, Levi told me that, I should have listened better. I apologize for implying you didn't care, I know Levi would have made the same call to retreat if he was there, it was the only reasonable thing to do, given the situation." You understood Eren a little better now, he was so full of life and determination, even if his family was gone, he fought so that their tragedy wouldn't be repeated and to protect the friends that still lived.

Erwin seemed surprised that Eren's fury had been subdued. "We're all upset about this," the commander admitted, "but what you just said is true and you must remember it in the future." Eren nodded and surprisingly, Erwin didn't dictate any punishments, instead he requested, "(Name) can I talk to you in my office?"

"Ok..." You followed him out, leaving Eren with Mikasa and Armin. You decided not to bring up the earlier argument, the tension was high and the wounds fresh, though that last part was still true.

xoxox xox xoxox

At Erwin's office, you sat across the desk from him, the door closed to prevent interruptions. Erwin let out a tired breath, as if the day had drained ten years of life right out of him. "I don't know if you're aware of it, but somehow you've come have to an influence over a good number of the scouts. They were curious about you when they heard the news you were Levi's wife and that made them watch you, they still do."

"I know," you replied quietly, "morale. That's why you let me run off, it was better that I calmed down somewhere else than start an uproar here. I won't lie to them though, what I told Eren was true, the conclusions he reached were right, I really do believe in freedom and I want the scouts to go on." You bit your lip, trying not to cry again. "If it'll help protect them, I'd take all their pain and keep it to myself, I won't do anything to endanger any of them."

Erwin seemed a bit relieved, though still exhausted, stressed and saddened by the day's events. Yet the carried he heavy knowledge that he had to be strong so that all those who stood with him could be strong too. "I'm glad you understand..."

You sighed, "I think I'll go see my father, I'll calm down a little more if I do," you decided. "I'll be back tomorrow." You stood, walking a few steps towards the office door. You felt that what needed to be said was said and that there was enough of an understanding to leave the conversation at that.

As you reached for the door, you heard Erwin say a few more words. "Levi told me you could be trusted. I wasn't sure at first, but I trust him." 

Your hand hovered over the door handle, motionless. You were glad to hear that Levi trusted you and at the same time, the thought of never seeing him again hurt more. You realized that Erwin was sincere, he wasn't just humoring you so you would behave, like when he patted your head like a child when you first came. He was actually counting on you, because Levi believed it was possible. You nodded in quiet understanding, "I'll be back before dark," you decided, and left the office. 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Put down the murder weapons, this story is not over.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	33. Chapter 33: Reunion

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 33: Reunion

You didn't leave the scouts' base right away after talking to Erwin. You stopped by to visit several people, just to see how they were doing, to reassure them, to tell them words Levi might have thought should be said, words you believed. A hug, a pat on the back, a look of comfort, you couldn't fight by their side yet, but you had to offer them something.

You would be strong for the sake of your friends, for the scouts, for freedom, for Levi, though it hurt to think he was gone. You left the scouts' base on Knight, but didn't go to your father right away. Instead you went back to the wall, back to the top, back to staring out into the distance.

You watched the sun begin to set in the horizon as a voice echoed in your mind calling your name. 'Now I'm hearing him...' you thought, fearing that your sanity was leaving you. 

Then you heard your name again in Levi's voice, it was far, but it was clear, too vivid to be your imagination. "Stop spacing out and look down here!"

You looked down, though the sun was shining it's last rays of light, there was just enough light left so you could see him. "Levi?!" You stared in disbelief, there he was, looking beat up, but alive. Much to your surprise he held Fluffy in his arms. 

As soon as your body got over enough of the shock to move, you notified Pixis, who was back at his office by now, filling up some paperwork before he could call it a day. He seemed disbelieving at first, wondering if your sorrow was causing your imagination to run wild, but he accompanied you outside anyway and looked, his mouth hanging open in awe. A few minutes later, Levi was on the top of the wall, via ODM gear provided by Dot, as Levi's equipment had stopped working. 

You glomped Levi the second he made it up the wall, causing Fluffy to squirm out of his arms in an effort not to get squished between you. The words got caught in your throat and you just held on to him like your life depended on it. He hugged you back, if it was for show or not, you didn't have the energy to question it. You eventually reasoned that he probably needed to breathe, so you loosened your grip. "I'm so glad you're back," you finally said.

A blur of questions followed, as the curious Dot inquired about the rest of the story beyond the point that Erwin had witnessed. Levi had been thrown through the air, though he managed to hook onto a tree on the way down and swing to a mostly safe landing, he was scratched, bruised, sore, tired, thirsty and hungry, but it was nothing grave. His biggest problem then was how to rejoin the retreat without running into more titans than he could fight alone with only half his ODM gear, as one side's rope had snapped when he was thrown. His remaining gear only had a little fuel left, so he would have to use it wisely. 

Much to his surprise, Levi found Fluffy, who was miraculously safe, or rather, Fluffy found him, she ran right up to him, wagging her tail, as if there was no danger at all. Then she sniffed the air, barked and dashed off in the opposite direction. Levi figured there had to be a good reason she was alive and soon realized that his theory was right, Fluffy could smell titans. "After I knew that, it made coming back a lot easier. It took a while since I had to take a few detours and make it back on foot, but I didn't run into any titans."

"That's amazing, I didn't even know dogs could smell titans. I did hear about an attempt to train them for that years ago, but I thought all the projects had ended in failure until they just gave up. This is quite the discovery," Dot exclaimed.

After talking to Dot, you returned home with Levi and Fluffy. On the way Levi asked if you knew anything about her, which you didn't. "I wasn't in the scouts when the projects Pixis mentioned took place, but I have heard about them. They were pretty detailed in their attempts to train dogs to detect titans, but apparently their scent is too similar to humans, so they ended up confused and couldn't tell the difference between the scouts and the titans. They tried this with several different breeds and had the same basic results. I find it hard to believe this is a coincidence, your dog could smell the titans from a good distance and became more aggressive the larger they were. The way she barked in the direction of the titan before running away was like a signal, I don't think this is something she does on instinct alone."

"I'll ask father about it tomorrow," you offered, curious and confused by the event, and above all thankful for Levi's return regardless of how it happened.

When you arrived at the base with Levi, the whole place came alive with joy and everyone wanted to hear what happened. Seeing Levi come back, seemingly from the dead gave the scouts new hope. Levi gave them a quick summary of the events and redirected their curiosity towards Fluffy, so he could escape to get cleaned up. Fluffy was tired and not willing to play with anyone, so she mostly ignored the silly humans and focused on resting. She didn't bark at Eren anymore. It was as if the scents of the outside world had cleared her confusion and she realized he wasn't who she was supposed to find.

That night, after the scouts finally settled down, you assumed Levi would go to sleep without another word, tired from the day's events. Though he closed his eyes, he was still awake. "(Name)," he tiredly half opened his eyes.

You let out a little "eep" as you were caught staring at him. Well, what were you supposed to look at if he was facing in your direction? "Yes?"

"Don't stare," he voiced quietly.

You pouted and turned over with your back to him, "fine."

"(Name)," Levi repeated.

"What? I'm not staring," you insisted, flustered.

"Turn around," he requested.

"Now what? Make up your mind," you turned over to face him.

The second your eyes met his, he spoke two most perplexing words, "thank you." You stared. "You're staring again."

"With good reason," you defended.

"Oh?" Was that a slight hint of amusement?

You blushed, realizing what that sounded like. "I mean, my reason is because I'm confused!" Although, he was also pleasant to look at in general. "What are you thanking me for?"

"For remembering my wishes," Levi replied, which didn't really serve as much of an explanation.

"What do you mean?" You prompted.

"I went to talk to Eren and he told me what you said," Levi revealed. You knew he had gone to talk to him and figured Eren might have mentioned your visit. The suicide misunderstanding didn't come up, so Mikasa was keeping her silence, not that you had any doubts about it. "You didn't give him any false hope, but calmed him down and I heard you did the same for the others."

"That was hard," you admitted. "But I had to do something for them, without lying, I thought you might have wanted that. Sorry, I really did think you weren't coming back. They didn't actually see you die so there was a little hope, but I was getting ready to let it go, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, you did do what I wanted you to do. You were being reasonable, as you should be, this isn't exactly the safest job after all. I'm not saying you should be entirely unfeeling, but you can't fall apart when something goes wrong, no matter how much you may regret it..." Levi fell silent and you wondered what he was remembering, who he was thinking of.

You felt like outright asking him would be prying, even if you were dying to know. "I'll listen," you offered, "when and if..." you added and he gave a barely perceptible nod.

"Are you sure you want to be a scout?" He finally asked after a moment of heavy silence.

"Yes," you replied with absolute determination. "I'll train hard, I won't be a burden, I won't put anyone in danger and I'll bring them all back alive... or at least as many as I can," you added a little more realistically.

"You won't do anything rash and you'll keep up with your training so you don't fall out of practice," Levi added.

"Yes," you agreed. The conversation was somewhat morbid and you were reminded of the fact that tomorrow you wouldn't have Mary Anne teasing you about when your pretend husband was going to become your real husband, or showing concern in her own way. All you could do now was hold on to the friends who still lived and try to keep them alive, not just breathing, but alive. 

"Get some rest then, I'll train you harder from now on," Levi closed his eyes, this time actually going to sleep. 

You somehow felt like he was concerned for you, determined to make sure you had the best chance possible out in the battle field. There was also something else, as if the last remnants of the thick barrier that was around him when you first met him were finally falling away completely, or maybe that was just your wishful thinking. You drifted off to sleep, your mind filled with an overload of racing emotions, sadness, frustration, relief, confusion... and a growing affection that you couldn't, or wouldn't, put a name to just yet.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, Levi's back! See, I told you plotting to murder me was a bad idea. :P Though I can be mean to characters, killing off the bishonen in a reader insert is too much. (Unless it takes place in a universe where revival is possible, which is not the case with Attack on Titan.)
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	34. Chapter 34: Revelations

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 34: Revelations

"She's so cute!" You squealed as you petted Levi's new horse at the scouts' stables, his previous one had not made it through the mission. 

"She's fast, that's what matters," Levi reminded.

You nodded absentmindedly and petted the adorable mare. "She's like a cat," you giggled. The horse was white, with brown and black spots. "You're so cute, Cali."

"Cali?" Levi questioned, you wondered if he had even bothered to give his horse a name before.

"As in calico," you explained.

Levi shrugged, "fine, Cali, it is."

Knight curiously approached the newcomer and nuzzled her, she responded in the same manner. "Aw, they like each other."

Levi glared at Knight, "stay away from my horse," he intoned slowly and threateningly.

Knight let out the closest thing a horse could produce similar to a squeak and hid behind you. "Protective, much?" You teased, then reassured your pet. "It's ok Knight, I'm sure Levi will let you play with Cali later." Levi let out a threatening huff and put Cali in the tables, you put Knight in the space next to her and hurried after Levi. "What's on the plan for today? More training?"

"Business meeting, then training," Levi replied, reading back into the base. "Your father should be here soon to sign the contract."

"The soap," you nodded, hoping that everything progressed smoothly.

"I told him to keep the contract short and simple," Levi commented.

You shook your head, you had eavesdropped through enough business meetings, both real and off topic, to know one thing. "Contracts are never simple."

"This one will be," Levi decided.

"We'll see..." you voiced in a tone that foretold an 'I told you so' awaited in Levi's future.'

xoxox xox xoxox

Your father arrived with the Itadaki brothers and Levi spent a long time examining the contract in his office. You and Erwin were present at the office, stretching your patience as Levi read and reread the document. The contract was indeed short and simple, which elicited an 'I told you so' look from Levi. You had replied with a discrete shake of the head as if reminding him that the final 'I told you so' would be the victor.

"I'm not going to sabotage the deal," your father mentioned dismissively. 

"I'm not worried about that," Levi replied, his eyes glued to the contract. "Even if you make this as profitable as you can for the scouts, even if you have no malicious intent and continue moving this business as we agreed, you might steal it from me, just to prove you can."

"Fair point," your father laughed. "However, all I ask for is a modest 20% ownership of our little cleaning product corporation. With 80% under your name, the business will be under your command and you can veto anything I say."

"It seems too easy," Levi stared at the contract some more, but couldn't find anything suspicious on the piece of paper. "Fine, I'll sign it." Finally, at long last the signature was recorded into the paper and the deal was finalized. The Itadaki brothers, who were feeling quite impatient by now, left to finish processing the signed document and the meeting was concluded with another half discussion, half argument between your father and Levi about stains and stain removal.

xoxox xox xoxox

A few days later, you were back at Levi's office when it was made known that Levi was no longer the main owner of his enterprise, a fact which your father shared with an amused grin. "What? How?" Levi questioned.

"You're married to my daughter under a standard agreement of shared earnings, so you actually only own 40%, while she owns the other 40%. I transferred my 20% directly to (Name) with a contract stating that it is her private property marriage aside. In conclusion, (Name) is the owner of this business venture," your father informed with amusement.

Levi was not amused, "I knew it, I knew you would do something like this for no real reason. But you didn't actually take the business for yourself, (Name) owns it."

"I'm afraid that's a small victory you will not be claiming today," your father informed, the spark of amusement in his eyes was unmistakable. "Because (Name) was ill in the past and thus unable to regularly represent herself in business meetings, I have control over any and all assets she owns, regardless of the conditions of ownership. That is complete legal control, which means that I could transfer her assets to myself if I wanted and gain ownership of that 60%, give you a vote of no confidence and boot you from the board, declare that all profits are to be reinvested and assign myself a juicy salary as the company manager, thus using that loophole to keep all the profits to myself."

"That's-" before Levi could put a name to it, as sneaky, underhanded, dishonest, unfair and deceitful didn't seem strong enough, he was interrupted.

"Legal," your father stated with finality.

"And that," you announced in your best 'I told you so' voice, "is why contracts are never simple. You have to cover all the loops and holes and lay the groundwork for vague clauses that you'll use to cover any new issues that may come up later. The contract must be interpreted consistently without contradictions, but it must be interpreted only by you, not the other person signing it."

"That's-" Levi began again, but was once again interrupted.

"Why I'm letting (Name) keep the company. Since she is of sound health now, I'm releasing her assets to her control and training her to be able to take care of the business, she's also the owner of the copyright for the formula now, which you should have specified as individual property, as it was otherwise assumed it was corporate property. Do you see now why I had to do this? The only way to keep this investment safe was to steal it from you and put it in the hands of someone who can protect it. I've already taken care of the new paperwork and covered up the holes. (Name), you just need to sign these documents to finalize everything and become the CEO." 

You nodded, as several documents were placed on the desk for you to sign while Levi watched in stunned silence. That didn't last too long, as he soon frowned and asked, "what about my signature?" 

"Not worth anything," your father smiled.

"Aw, c'mon Levi, don't look so sour, it's not like I'm going to fire you... for now," you teased. Levi continued to look adorably grumpy, was he even aware of how cute he was? How could he not be? You giggled and booped him, then giggled some more.

"Why did you do that?" Levi asked in surprise.

"Because I can," you smiled, entertained by his reaction. 

"So it's a bad habit that runs in your family, being annoying just because you can be." Levi glared at the paperwork as if wanting to set it on fire with his eyes.

Your father removed the papers from the desk before they could combust. "I'll take these papers to be processed. It was nice visiting," he smiled in amusement and got up to leave.

Recalling something, Levi snapped to attention and stopped your father from leaving. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Happy anniversary," your father declared. "It's been seven months since you got married, you're getting along far better than I expected, I didn't think your marriage would last this long. Now that I think about it, I might have set up a divorce procedure that should have already taken place. I doubt the Itadaki brothers would have forgotten, I did pay them in advance for the services, but you're still married, so I guess you decided not to get a divorce. Out of curiosity, why was that?"

"Morale," you blurted out before Levi could say anything, though in his current mood your guess was that his answer would be something along the lines of 'none of your damn business.' "Because the scouts see us as an OTP and all."

"Well, isn't that sweet?" Your father nodded with a look that spoke far more than his simple vague reply ever could, albeit you couldn't, or wouldn't, decipher what the hidden communication was.

"Enough," Levi interrupted with impatience. "Reveal the identity of (Name)'s uncle as promised," he demanded.

The name your father spoke was unrecognizable to you, though you did recognize your mother's maiden name as his surname, but you already knew that, since they were siblings. "That man doesn't exist in the official records, or in any way anymore. He left his old identity fade into nothingness and, because he can't mimic other people to perfection, he instead created an entirely new identity for himself instead of trying to steal one," your father explained. "You may know him as Dr. Fredrick Facio."

The office was drowned in silence and Levi looked legitimately surprised. "What about the man who gave me the cure?" Before your father could reply, you answered your own question. "Wait a minute, that was him too, wasn't it?"

"Yes, the same man with a different face," your father confirmed.

"He didn't want his identity as Fred to become linked to this, so he used another face that day," you realized.

"Facio," Levi voiced dangerously. "Are you saying it was Facio all along? When he came here to treat the scouts after missions, he was just fishing for information for his research, wasn't he?"

"I'm afraid so, though he still helped the scouts by treating the injured, he didn't do it for their sake," your father confirmed. "If you decide to make any moves, you must be careful, I don't know the extent of his abilities," he warned in all seriousness. "I would prefer to leave things as they are, but I know that's not happening." 

You weren't sure what to say. Fred had committed many crimes for the sake of his research, but he wasn't evil. He didn't have the right to decide who was sacrificed, but he was trying to save you and he had helped your friends in the past. What was more important? Loyalty or justice? How could you walk the fine line between such contradicting terms, one denoting a preference, while the other demanded the lack of it. You realized that you couldn't walk between them, you had to pick one or the other in a case by case basis. 

"I'll take my leave now," your father quietly announced, deciding it was best to give Levi some time to organize his thoughts and inform Erwin of the discovery. "(Name), the weather is warmer now, spring is really showing its presence, would you walk your dear old father home?"

"Sure," you thought it might be best to give Levi some space right now anyway. He might not want anyone interrupting his discussion with Erwin about how to go about catching Dr. Facio to further their titan research and obtain any other useful information he might have. Levi didn't try to stop you or your father from leaving, he understood that there was nothing more to say, because there was nothing more that could be said that wasn't already known. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Your father and you approached the bakery atelier and after greeting Artie and Melinda, you went upstairs to talk. You asked about Fluffy, but your father couldn't tell you much about her other than she had been a gift from your uncle. Than the conversation took an interesting turn when your father stated, more so than asked. "I suppose it's useless to ask you to get a divorce before things get more complicated."

"Do you really think Levi is in so much danger that you want me to stay away from him?" You asked, with no intentions of doing so, a fact which your father was clearly aware of. "You said my uncle wouldn't hurt me, if I'm with him, wouldn't that be enough to protect him?"

"If Fred decides to kill Levi, he will do it, I just didn't want it to be in front of your eyes. I know I can't stop Levi or Erwin from investigating and you won't stay out of it either, regardless of what I do. There's just no way to keep you hidden from this pain, so I'll have to trust you to be strong enough to handle it," your father concluded in resignation.

"I will be," you assured. 

"My little princess is all grown up." Your father sighed, feeling melancholy. "I was the one who started all this in my desperate attempt to protect you, so even if I wasn't expecting it, I suppose I have no right to complain. If I really think about it, if the circumstances were different, I would have approved."

"What do you mean?" You asked curiously. The topic had shifted and you wondered what this was about.

"You love him," your father stated plain and simple.

Your face turned scarlet, "what? Levi? We're friends! I mean... I might kind of like him, but it's just a silly crush, I'm not in love with him," you laughed nervously.

"Don't you think I know my daughter better than that?" Your father shook his head at your flustered state. "Princess, I can tell the difference between when you blush because the thought of something is embarrassing and when you blush because the thought of something is pleasurable, but you don't want to admit it. I was young and in love once too and your tells are exactly the same as your mother's. After a while, I learned to read her like a book." Your blush deepened, was your father trying to hint that Levi knew you liked him? 

You left the bakery with a new handmade shirt from Melinda, several boxes of pastries from Artie and a letter from your father that he said was filled with, "business tips, for your eyes only," but most of all, you left with a heavy load of a strangely giddy confusion. You tugged the letter in your pants pocket and went home, to the base of the Survey Corps, to the home that you were determined to keep safe, and to the man you had fallen in love with, even if you could only admit it in the privacy of your mind.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of the secrets have finally been revealed, but there are still a few more that will be revealed in future chapters.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	35. Chapter 35: Boiling Point

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 35: Boiling Point

"What are you reading?" You looked over Levi's shoulder at the book he held. 

"It's the book that people get to read when they're not behind on their training," Levi shut the thick text and pointed you towards a forested area. 

You could see the structure of the scouts' base some distance away, and moved in the opposite direction towards the collection of trees. "I'm not behind," you defended. You caught a glance at the book, something about business and law. "Are you still mad at father for stealing your precious secret formula? Do you want it back? I own the copyright you know, even if you steal all my stock I'll have to transfer it to you separately if you want it back." You fired your ODM gear into a tree branch and swung playfully. "Or you could bribe the Itadaki brothers to do the job for you."

"Hold on to it," Levi decided before putting the book down on the base of a tree and hooked his ODM gear into a tree branch. "It's fake anyway."

"Ooh, so the super soap formula only exists in the mind of the creator," you watched as Levi began to move forward via ODM and followed him. "Wait, I got it, the secret ingredients are your blood and tears!" You called after him, in a futile attempt to make the conversation distract him enough to slow him down.

"Maybe I'll teach it to you some day," Levi replied, speeding up. "If you can keep up with me. You're too slow, too afraid of where the hook of your ODM will land. You need to make these calculations in a split second."

He noticed... Of course he noticed, he noticed every last detail when it came to your training and was quick to critically point it out. You felt that he wasn't mean or picky though, despite appearing to be that way at times, he was just trying to prepare you for battle. Ok, just focus on Levi and let instinct guide the ODM. He wasn't moving in a straight line, you had to get closer or you'd lose him in the thick flora. Focus on Levi, you repeated your mental mantra, just stay focus on him... No, not on his tail, just the whole of him. A branch hit you in the face, but you recovered before you hit the ground, though you had lost sight of Levi. You looked in every direction, where did he go? Then a harsh force knocked up off balance and sent you crashing into a tree trunk. "Ugh..."

"You went too low, if you were passing over titans, they would have been able to grab you." Well at least you found Levi. His ODM was hooked onto the same tree, he stood against the trunk, trapping you between his body and the tree.

"Yeah, especially if one of my so called comrades decides to kick me in the back," you pouted, turning your head to look at him over your shoulder.

"I doubt it's worse than a tree branch to the face," Levi retorted. Great, he saw it.

"That only happened once this time," you countered. 

"One too many times, if you didn't heal yourself, you'd be all scratched up and healing requires energy that you shouldn't waste. You know what'll happen if you exhaust your energy too much too constantly and you'll be useless if you fall unconscious in the middle of the battle field," Levi reminded.

"My energy isn't that low, it takes a lot more than this to get me in that state." You countered, though Levi would accept no argument.

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings," Levi insisted, "but you can't slow down to take it all in. A titan could have snuck behind you and you wouldn't have seen it, since you were so focused on following me. You can't just be aware of one element of your surroundings. You need to keep track of the landscape, enemies and allies. Taking down titans is a team effort and... What the heck are you blushing for?"

"Nothing!" You blurted out, though he must have known it wasn't nothing. He had you pinned against a tree for crying out loud. Well, not really, his legs were on either side of you on the tree, giving you at least a few inches of space, so you weren't pressed against the trunk, but that was still close. You recalled what your father said about how obvious you were about your crush, though it was more than a mere crush at this point. You resolved not to be so obvious, but what could you do? "Levi, let's spar."

"You're decent with hand to hand combat, you need to practice more with ODM," Levi pointed out. 

"So we'll fight on ODM. Maybe that'll help me get used to reacting faster," you suggested. You wouldn't go easy on him, that'll show him you weren't some love sick girl with a terribly obvious attraction for him. "Just you wait, I'll fly like a bird."

Levi gave you an odd look and for a split second seemed lost in thought before he swiftly returned to his normal self. "Fine, maybe it will cure at least some of your clumsiness," Levi moved to a different tree, jumping on a branch.

You climbed up to another branch, on the tree that you were already on and looked at him across the distance that now separated you. Then the realization hit you, if you were indeed so obvious, why hasn't he said anything about it? Maybe he didn't like you and was waiting quietly for your feelings to pass. He had been kind of harsh in his training recently, harsher than normal that is. You got the impression that he was concerned about how prepared you were to join the scouts, but maybe that was all your wishful thinking. It hurt to think that way, but you had to focus on the battle, so you poured everything into it. 

You hooked your ODM onto a branch overhead, on a tree between the two you and Levi were on, and moved forward. He met you half way, two pairs of swords colliding in mid air. The blades were dull training blades, so they wouldn't cut either of you, though they still had the weight of real blades. When Levi pushed you back, you focused on strengthening your legs and pushed yourself forward, launching from a tree, you caught up to him and slashed with your swords. He blocked, slightly turned in the air and released his ODM. You were expecting him to move up to dodge, so it took you a moment to react to the fact that he was a few feet below. By the time you adjusted to go on the attack again, he fired his ODM at an odd angle and was moving up and sideways.

You gave chase, but Levi was too fast. It was only a matter of time before you lost track of him. You perched on a branch, looking in every direction and trying to listen to even the quietest sound. You heard some rustling of leaves and perceived a shadow moving, blending in with the shadows of the trees. You shot your ODM forward as Levi came down on the branch you were on a second ago. He leapt after you, you turned and once again your blades crashed against his in mid air. The action was repeated several times, before he disappeared again, no doubt preparing another surprise attack.

You were starting to feel the effect of exhaustion. You couldn't parry his blades effectively without using your ability to strengthen your arms, which consumed energy. Recalling something Hange had said about titans and sunlight, you broke off your search for Levi and headed in the direction of a spacious clearing in the forest. Curious as to what you were doing, Levi turned back and you could vaguely perceive him chasing after you, though he kept his distance so as to not make his position too obvious. He soon realized you were seeking the sunlight and sped up to intercept you. 

You released the hook of your ODM gear and fell. Levi hovered overhead waiting to see where your other hook would travel to next, but it didn't. He realized too late your intention was to reach the ground and you managed to slip away. You focused on making your legs strong enough to withstand the impact. The landing hurt, but your healing kicked in, aided by the sunlight, and running was only painful for a short time. You stood in the center of the clearing, basking in the light, but it didn't take long for you to have second thoughts about your strategy. 

Levi swooped down, using the metal of the blades to reflect the sunlight at your face and block your vision just long enough to catch you off guard. He crashed into you and knocked you to the grassy ground. "Looks like I win," he declared smugly, placing his blades back in their sheaths.

"It's not over!" Your own blades had slipped out of your grasp when you were knocked down, but they were attached to the ODM gear, so they were still close, not that Levi had any intention of allowing you to reach for them. You squirmed, turning over to try to get back on your feet and pick up your blades at the same time.

"You're just making it worse," Levi grabbed your wrists, holding your hands behind your back. "Just admit I won this time."

"No way!" You stubbornly declared. You tried to get loose, though it was very difficult.

Levi moved, positioning himself on top of your torso, holding your arms in place with his legs. His hands brushed your hair aside and wrapped gently around your neck. "I would've had plenty of time to snap your neck by now, you lost this round."

You focused your energy on your neck, making every fiber of it stronger. "I'd like to see you try," you challenged, though you still couldn't free your arms. All's fair in love and war, right? Besides, it was his own fault for holding you down like this, you pinched him on the thigh.

"Hey, watch the hands!" He exclaimed in surprise, which lowered his guard enough for you to free your arms. He recovered very quickly and though you managed to grasp your blades, he pinned down your wrists before you could point one at his throat and declare yourself the winner. 

You weren't about to become trapped again and since fighting dirty worked last time, you threatened, "I'll spit on you!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Levi warned darkly, though he still scrambled to hold both your hands down with one of his and cover your mouth with his other hand, just in case. 

You bit him, causing him to let you go entirely, then bashed your forehead against his, which dazed him and bought you enough time to slip away from under him, gather your blades and get on your feet. 

"So you refuse to give up?" Levi voiced in a challenging tone. What in the world had you gotten yourself into? 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fight! Fight! Fight! :D
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	36. Chapter 36: Sitting in a Tree

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 36: Sitting in a Tree

You stood firm, holding your blades at the ready, trying to watch both Levi and the branches above, looking for a good place to shoot your ODM gear without being intercepted by Levi to prevent your ascent. 

Before you could come up with a strategy, he dashed forward, twin swords at the ready and moving extremely fast. You felt the blades on your arms, the hits were hard, though they had no sharp edge, so you weren't cut. "I would have cut both your arms off by now if this was a real fight," Levi warned.

"They would have grown back," you countered, stepping back, trying to regain some semblance of control over the fight.

"In theory," Levi reminded.

"I'd rather not test that theory, but there's a good chance it's true," you argued in return.

You were moving away from the clearing despite your efforts to stay in range of the sunlight. You mostly moved your blades parallel to each other with one goal, mostly blocking, but you realized that dual wielding wasn't just about holding two swords. It was for the two swords to accomplish more than one would, complimenting each other instead of doing the same thing that could be accomplished by a single blade. You weren't a dual wielder, you had not trained for it and found yourself remembering just how many opponents Levi could take on at once, judging by the ninja fight.

Your back hit a tree and Levi's blades touched your neck. "Decapitation is a fatal wound, you wouldn't recover from this," he declared, finally stepping back.

"Fine, you won that round," you admitted. "But the fight's not over!" You shot your ODM gear up and moved through the air, trying to put some distance between you and Levi, so that he'd lose track of you and you could come back for a surprise attack.

"Stubborn," Levi gave pursuit, quickly closing the distance between you.

In an effort to speed up, you sacrificed precision, which proved to be a fatal mistake. The left side of your ODM gear got tangled and you were having trouble retracting the hook from the branches. You fired the right side and managed to pull the left hook free by force, without losing significant altitude, but the loss of time allowed Levi to catch up to you in mid air.

You gripped the handle of your blades, causing the right hook to retract as well. You couldn't see a thing, though you concluded that the fabric that had been thrown at your face was his jacket, go figure when he had the time to take it off. "You're the one who wants to fight dirty," Levi reminded, in a 'you started it' kind of way.

Your voice was muffled behind the fabric that he kept around your head and you wondered if he could even make out the words of your comeback, in which you pointed out the irony of a neat freak fighting dirty. Well, if he was fighting dirty now, then you took that to mean that everything goes. You could feel yourself moving through the air, though you couldn't see where you were being taken. You resolved to disarm Levi by removing his ODM gear. He was only using one side, as his other hand was occupied in holding you prisoner. You didn't think he'd actually fall though, he would notice what you were doing and when he tried to stop you, that would be your opportunity to escape and prepare a counter attack.

Your hands moved without any guidance from your eyes, searching for the belts of the ODM gear. You found something that felt like a belt buckle and started to undo it, then pull it off. "What are you doing?" Levi loosened his grip on the jacket that covered your face enough for you to free yourself from it. You tried to grab it so you could threaten to throw it in a mud puddle if he didn't accept defeat, but it escaped you and fell to the ground below. As you scrambled to grab it you almost made Levi drop you, though he managed to hold on to you by the back of your scouts jacket, as you had started wearing the uniform during training despite not being officially in yet.

Giving up on holding the jacket hostage you were about to return to your task of separating Levi from his ODM gear when you realized that the belt in your hand was not the one you expected. You had instead taken the belt off his pants. "What?" You dropped the belt. "Gear, your gear!" You babbled, your face red.

Levi raised an eyebrow, "my what?"

Your face turned even redder, "your ODM gear!" you specified. "I was trying to disarm you, nothing more," you insisted. Wanting to get away from the scene, you raised your arms to escape your jacket and fall. "(Name!) Don't push your luck!" Levi warned seriously.

You took it to mean he didn't want you to take any unnecessary, falls and you couldn't agree more, even if you did heal, it still hurt. You shot your ODM gear into a tree and continued at a regular rhythm, quickly gaining altitude. You hurried away as fast as you could, trying to go back to your initial plan of escaping Levi's pursuit and returning in a surprise attack, though it would be hard to sneak up on him. 

You noticed your ODM gear slowing down and stopped on a tree branch to check your fuel level. This was not good, you were almost completely out of fuel and with what you had left, you couldn't really do much. You looked behind you to see if Levi was coming, then in every other direction in case he passed you somehow and was coming in for a sneak attack. You didn't spot him anywhere, so you just sat on the tree branch contemplating your next move. 

A few minutes passed in silence, then you finally found Levi, his ODM gear was completely out of fuel so he took it off and left it at the base of the tree before he started climbing. You used what little fuel you had left to move to a different tree and reach a high branch on it, then began taking off your empty ODM gear for better mobility.

Levi was fast and was already high up the tree he was climbing. Rather than climb down again and start climbing the tree you had moved to, he examined the branches, then after considering the distance, jumped from one branch to another. 

You were just barely out of your ODM gear and Levi was already close to catching up with you. Though you weren't sure when the fight had become a chase, you didn't question it and tried to climb higher.

"Where are you going?" Surprisingly, Levi's voice was coming from above. You were so focused on not falling that you didn't even notice when he passed you on the other side of the tree.

"Up?" You replied unsure. He hadn't bothered to go back to recover the belt you dropped, not that it mattered since his pants fit well enough not to fall off without it. It was a fact that you reminded yourself you shouldn't dwell on during a time when your focus could be instead occupied in climbing, except he had continued climbing and was directly above you on the tree, so where were you supposed to look? You also weren't sure when the fight, turned chase, had turned into a race. 

You hurried up the tree, breathing heavily in exhaustion until you finally reached the area below the branch Levi was sitting on. You grabbed his foot and to your surprise you easily pulled his boot off. "Huh? Are these even the right size?"

"My feet are not swollen anymore," Levi pointed out. Ah yes, it was the consequence of the shoes Melinda had made. Levi must have started using larger more comfortable boots and never got around to switching back to his previous size. "Now give it back."

"Nope!" You began pulling on his other boot despite his protests. He was too much of a neat freak to run around barefoot, so this was just what you needed to make him surrender. 

You lost your footing, the boots slipping from your grasp as you tried to regain your balance. Levi leaned down and grabbed your arm, steadied you then pulled you up to sit on the branch he was on. "I'm taking your boots," he announced, pushing your torso to rest against the tree trunk and pulling your legs onto his lap.

"What?" You squeaked in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden proximity.

"Since you dropped mine, you're the one who will have to go back barefoot," Levi decided.

"No way!" You finally found it in you to try to fight back, though you were careful not to fall off the branch. Levi still managed to get your boots off, though all your squirming made him drop them to the ground below. 

"Now look what you did," he trapped you against the tree branch, while you mockingly stuck out your tongue and squirmed in an effort to get yourself free.

"Don't stick out your tongue or something might happened to it," Levi warned.

"Oh yeah, I heard that story from Eren," you laughed.

"What?" Levi asked in sudden confusion.

"It should be fine though," you continued. "I'm on a tree, not on a horse."

"That story," Levi recalled. You continued your squirming, managing to escape, though Levi didn't seem to be making too much of an effort to keep you trapped in place. 

At some point, the once aggressive battle had turned playful and you had lost your determination to beat Levi to a bloody puddle just to prove you could get over your big crush if you really tried. You escaped Levi and climbed down to the branch below, where you sat.

Levi leaned down from the branch above, upside down, holding onto the branch with his legs. "It's almost sunset, we should head back now."

"Ok..." you breathe, though you rather just sit exactly where you were for an indefinite period of time. 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was that a hint of flirting hidden somewhere in there?
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	37. Chapter 37: Heart

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 37: Heart

Levi tried to move to the branch below, where you were at, but his pants got caught on a splinter on the branch above and without the belt doing its part to hold them in place, though they wouldn't fall off under normal circumstances, Levi almost fell right out of them as he ungracefully landed on your branch, his pants around his ankles.

"Levi!" Worried that he was going to fall off, you reached out to help him up, but he pulled himself up before you could. You let out a breath of relief, followed by echoing laughter.

Levi cursed under his breath as he tried to take a more dignified position on the branch, so he could focus on pulling his pants up, but he was too close to the thinner side of the branch and heard it crack. You both froze and the branch cracked again. Levi jumped to hold on to the tree trunk and saved himself from falling, you were much closer to it, so had no problem holding on, plus a portion of the branch was still left on the thicker side where you were.

You watched as Levi's pants sailed down to the base of the tree and noticed that you were not alone. Krista held a basket of flowers. She and Armin were curiously examining the boots on the ground when the pants fell on Armin. He jumped in surprised and examined the garment before dropping the pants as if they were on fire and pulling Krista away on a hasty terrified retreat.

You weren't sure if you should be embarrassed or amused, but the fact of the matter was that you were indeed amused. You hugged the tree trunk to prevent yourself from falling as you let your laughter ring out loud and clear. 

"Shut up!" Levi ordered, but you didn't do as you were told, you simply couldn't. In a split second, Levi was inches away, glaring directly at you in just his underwear and shirt. You couldn't say anything though you were desperate to come up with something sassy. You just couldn't stop laughing. This went on for several minutes until, with a lot of effort, you somewhat managed to control yourself. "Are you done?" Levi finally asked with impatience. You nodded, still giggling a little under your breath. "Then let's go down, I don't think I can trust you to get down on your own. You're too tired to heal yourself if you fall and we are very high up. Besides, if you fall on your head it might be fatal and you won't even have the chance to heal later."

You looked down and wished you didn't. You always shook off the notion of fear by telling yourself that any pain you might be on if you fell was short and temporary, that you would heal and fully recover. Flying through the air at high speeds was a lot easier when you reassured yourself that falling had no significant consequences. 

You gulped, your laughter leaving you entirely. You had to admit you were tired, which was why you only climbed down to the branch directly below after escaping Levi right before the pants mishap. He had definitely noticed it then, you had been breathing heavily on your way up the tree and whatever sunlight did to recharge your cells, you weren't getting it now that the sun was setting. You'd have to recover your energy the ordinary way, with food and sleep. 

"I don't really have a choice," you concluded. "I mean, I can't stay up in the tree forever, so I'll have to climb down. If I don't climb down now, I'll just be more tired later." You looked at the branches below, trying to plot your path, though staring down at the ground wasn't very reassuring.

"Hold on," Levi decided. At first you thought it was sarcasm. It was a piece of good advise that was so good it was redundantly obvious.

Then his meaning finally sunk in when he joined you in the stub of branch that was left for you to stand on and took your arms, placing them around his shoulders. "Wait... You're going to carry me on your back? Can you climb down like that?"

"I can climb, but I can't stop you from falling, so don't let go," Levi instructed.

"Ok..." you held on, blushing at the close contact. "What about your pants?" You asked shyly.

"I'm not climbing down to get them and climbing back up to get you," Levi logically informed. He began to climb down as if he knew where to move by instinct. 

You held on and closed your eyes, more so to focus on the sensation of being so close to him than anything else, as your spontaneous fear of heights was now gone. Your feet gently touched the ground, but it took you a moment to move. You realized that Levi was trapped between the tree and yourself and reacted by stepping aside, wondering why he hadn't complained for you to let go the second you were close enough to the ground to safely jump down.

You waited while Levi dressed and focused on the task of putting your boots back on. Your and Levi's ODM gear and scouts jackets were nearby. Krista and Armin must have picked up everything they found on the way, then abandoned it when the pants fell and they concluded they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. "The scouts would have heard about this by now and who knows what conclusions they've reached."

"If it bothers you, you should correct them," Levi suggested, he was now fully dressed.

"What about their morale?" You inquired with a hint of hope.

"Morale shouldn't be built on a lie. We were close to going on a mission when I told you that, but until the Survey Corps goes out of debt, we can't really operate outside of the walls. It might be a while until we go on another mission, plenty of time to recover from the disappointment of a divorce," Levi informed as a matter of fact. "If that's what you want," he added.

You were rendered speechless for a moment. Levi waited for you to say something, but when you didn't, he turned around and walked. You continued after him in heartbroken silence.

xoxox xox xoxox

The two of you arrived at the base, put away the ODM gear and went inside, going your separate ways in silence. You were late to dinner after getting cleaned up and changed. You looked around, but didn't see Levi anywhere, you did take a long time in the shower so maybe he already ate. You didn't go to his bathroom though, you didn't want to cross paths with him at the moment, so you used one of the shower stalls the other girls usually used. 

Though you expected the mess hall to be empty by now, a few people were still there, occupying a table in the corner. You curiously approached the group and set your tray of food at their table, picking at it, just to have something to occupy yourself with, despite not having much of an appetite at the moment. 

At the center of the group was Hange, everyone was so focused on her that they didn't even see you. She seemed to be reading something that sounded similar to one of the novels you used to read with Melinda and Mary Anne, except much more defiant of the laws of physics. Not that you knew much about those particular laws of physics anyway, as your only experience came from fictional texts that surely took numerous creative liberties. 

You ate your food in automatic motions, only vaguely aware of what you were consuming. Chew, swallow, survive, it'll stop hurting one day, just be strong, it's not the end of the world, just the end of your crush. Don't cry, you need to break the divorce to the scouts gently. You couldn't cry in front of the scouts, they'd treat Levi like a villain if you did and it wasn't his fault he had been forced to marry a girl he didn't and couldn't love. 

The names in Hange's narration caught your attention, it would be too much of a coincidence if the protagonists of the story shared your and Levi's names. You peeked over the tight circle of people surrounding Hange, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Sasha and Connie were there. They were all blushing to some degree, with Armin being by far the reddest. Krista must have gone off to pick flowers to brighten up the base, and Armin must have offered to go with her, then the pants incident happened. 

You noticed Hange was reading from a handwritten journal. Fanfiction, there was now fanfiction about you and Levi. You blushed as Hange described a particular romantic scene. Eren thought something was off with the story and shyly interrupted with a question, "is that even physically possible?"

Hange laughed, "oh Eren, you know so little," she teased.

"Of course it's possible," Jean bragged, "I bet I could do it."

"Maybe I should start a sex-ed class for the scouts," Hange mused aloud, which made Armin look dismayed. "What do you think (Name?)" Everyone jumped in surprise, suddenly made aware of your presence. "By the way, Eren wants to know if Levi can-"

"Make popcorn!" Eren loudly interrupted with something entirely random. It would be terribly embarrassing to get stuck getting some weird, physics defying sex-ed talk from anyone, especially Levi.

"Um... I'll ask," leaving your half finish food on the table, you went on the retreat.

"Are you going to finish this?" Sasha inquired, pointing at the food.

"No, you can have it!" You called back to her as you disappeared from the mess hall.

"Thank you!" Sasha happily began to eat the leftovers. They were all unaware of the turmoil in your mind and maybe it was best to keep it that way.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the cliffhanger, mwahahaha!
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	38. Chapter 38: Excuses

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 38: Excuses

You returned to Levi's room without thinking and stopped at the door. You were just rushing anywhere and ended up there. His words echoed through your mind as you stared at the door, contemplating if you should go in or not. He wanted to divorce you, though he had said he'd get a divorce if that's what you wanted, but what about his wishes? He knew you liked him, so he couldn't be expecting you to bring up the divorce yourself. That could only mean it was what he wanted, but he wanted you to take the first step. Yet that didn't make any sense, Levi wouldn't dance around the issue if he wanted a divorce, but he also wouldn't go around in circles if he didn't. He was usually direct, why not this time? 

Maybe you were just reading too deeply into it. He was trying to let you off easy, that must be it. You took a deep breath and dried your eyes. You had cried on the way there, though not at the mess hall, or else someone would have surely asked what was wrong. You told yourself to be strong and opened the door. Levi was looking at the book he had been reading earlier, he had picked it up on the way back. He was just staring at it, as if rereading the same line in an effort to draw some meaning from it, while his mind was elsewhere. Surely he noticed your arrival, his senses were always sharp, but he made no effort to acknowledge you were there.

You wondered if you should just go to sleep, maybe in one of the spare rooms. No, that would be running away and you weren't a coward. You would survive, life would go on, this wasn't the end of the world, you were heartbroken now but you would get over it, even if it took a long time, but you couldn't go on like this, with a loss that was never official. You had to put this matter to rest once and for all if you were ever going to have the slightest hope to move on. 

You swallowed the lump in your throat and took a deep slow breath. "Levi," you tried your best to keep your voice clear and even. He put the book down and stood, giving you his undivided attention in silence. You closed your eyes for a moment and breathe deeply again, then looked at him, forcing yourself not to stare at your feet even though you really wanted to. "I love you." There, you said it, it was done, and you felt like a big weight had been lifted of your shoulders regardless of what came next. You sighed in relief, letting out at least some of your tension. 

Levi stared at you for a moment, processing your words, then chuckled, a sound you weren't used to hearing from him. "I guess I'm all out of excuses."

You were about to follow up your declaration with some words of assurance that you wouldn't protest to the divorce, or let it affect the scouts in any way. But you were so confused by his reaction, that you couldn't help it but to ask, "what do you m-" You were silenced mid question by his lips on yours. 

Though you were initially stunned, you responded to the kiss and wrapped your arms around him. He pulled you tighter against his body, making the kiss deeper and more passionate until you were both out of breath. You remained still, holding on to Levi as he held you. You were happy, though still confused, but certainly happy. 

Levi noticed the puzzlement in your eyes, despite your smile and recalled the question he didn't let you finish. "You asked what I meant," you nodded, though whatever he had meant was certainly better than what you expected. "I didn't want to be with anyone that I couldn't rely on, or could lose too easily, or couldn't handle it if I was the one who didn't make it home," he explained. Then he added, "or someone who couldn't put up with my training... or cleaning," he admitted. "But I ran out of excuses..."

"Why didn't you say something?" You asked curiously.

"You didn't say anything either," he pointed out. 

You realized that he was only making sure this was what you wanted. That you weren't just going with the flow, or doing it for the scouts, or were well enough with inaction. He wanted to make sure you not only had feelings for him but the will to act upon them. 

xoxox xox xoxox

You learned a lot about Levi after that, he told you about his past in the underground city, a story that he wouldn't share with just anyone. How he came to be in the Survey Corps, the loss of his closes friends from his old home. Stories of scouts missions and his comrades, some who still lived, and many who didn't. you listened to everything, speaking a few words when you could think of what to say, but mostly in silence. Levi didn't seem to mind your quietude, you were absorbing every detail and treating it with importance, you were trying to understand, sharing in his memories, and that was what really mattered.

You joined the scouts officially, though there were no missions at the moment. You knew the investigation to catch Dr. Facio was going on, but he had seemingly vanished. His patients were not happy about it and the higher ups at Sina had their doubts about the accusations. Fred treated many rich and influential people and they were worse off without their doctor. He had done a lot of questionable deeds in his selfish quest, but he was a very talented doctor who also helped many, if only to help fund and camouflage his research. Thankfully, no one had tried to kill Levi and you haven't really seen anyone suspicious around. 

Later, the news had come that Mona Lisa was murdered. The culprit could have been any of her many enemies. You didn't know the specifics, no one in the scouts did just yet, but apparently her ninja guards could do nothing against the intruders. You assumed it had to be more than one person to have killed a significant number of her ninja, and wondered if the Sina mafia was related to the incident. 

A lot of people in Rose rejoiced that the merchant tyrant, who had become more infamous during her short reign than most merchants did in a life time, was gone for good, but your thoughts immediately went to Tony and his whereabouts. As far as you knew, his body was never found, on the other hand, Gustav's body had been found, though he had died weeks prior to Mona Lisa's assassination. Artie and Melinda were in a panic and left for Sina against the cautions of you and your father. 

After Artie and Melinda had left, you were with your father at the bakery, when a peculiar conversation occurred that stayed in your mind with the feeling of unfinished business. Your father had looked at you as if expecting you to say something, or ask him something, though none of your questions and remarks seemed to be what he was waiting for. He looked as if he had resolved that your mind was in other matters, and so was his, so there was no time to talk anyway, yet the uncertainty hung in the air. 

"Father," you asked finally, not liking the feeling of uncertainty that felt like it came from a different source than the obvious. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Nothing I haven't already told you, princess, but whenever you're ready to talk, I'm here. I understand this may not be the best time, since we're both worried about Tony, and now Artie and Melinda have gone to Sina." Your father's stress was evident in his voice. you were shocked at how much older he looked now, a testament to the harsh process of adaptation and the numerous worries that plagued him. 

You knew he wanted to go to Sina and search for Tony as well. He had become determined to protect at least that little boy, for the sake of all the people whom your uncle sacrificed. "Are you going?" You inquired. "You know how dangerous it is."

"I want to go," your father admitted with frustration. "But Erwin gave me an ultimatum and has me under house arrest. Well, I can go out and all, but I'm not supposed to leave the neighborhood, and especially not go to Sina unless it is on official soap business and even then I am not to go alone. The scouts need to funds to keep their operations running until things settle down in the government. Mona Lisa messed up the economy quite a bit and now her resources are rotting in storage while her business associates argue about who should get what and people go hungry in Rose. I'm supposed to be an important business asset," he huffed. "I understand that my death will have more significant consequences than just my death, but it's my life to risk for whatever cause I deem worthy. I would be on my way to Sina right now if I thought I could actually get there without someone sent by Erwin intercepting me."

You frowned and immediately argued, "your death, business resource or not, would be terrible, so please don't take your life so lightly!"

"I'm sorry, princess," he sighed tiredly. "I'm just so frustrated that things keep falling apart. At least you're safe and you seemed so happy before the news of Mona got us all worried about Tony."

"Yeah," you let out a frustrated breath. Your life was still so full of ups and downs it was dizzying. Mary Anne's death, Levi's supposed death and subsequent return, Fluffy's mysterious titan tracking ability that was yet to be put to good use since the Survey Corps operations' were officially frozen, your uncle's identity... You were planning to tell your father that Levi was your boyfriend, maybe that was what he was expecting you to bring up. Technically, Levi was still your husband, but in reality he was more like your boyfriend. You didn't have the energy to tell your father about it now, there was too much going on. "We'll just have to be strong and do our best," you decided, able to think of nothing more to do in this situation.

Your father smiled with a bittersweet look in his eyes. "You've grown into a fine young woman, (Name). I'm proud of you, my princess, and I love you."

"Thank you, father," you smiled back, at least you had your father, Levi and your friends. You were determined not to lose them. "I love you too." 

That time you didn't go home with a new handmade garment, or a box of pastries to share with your friends, or a letter full of business tips, though you realized you were yet to read the last one. You just went home with a heavy heart.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, the boyfriend, finally! 
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	39. Chapter 39: Unicorns and Popcorn

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 39: Unicorns and Popcorn

You rode Knight back to the scouts' base with a heavy heart, yet an unbreakable determination. When you got home, you went to the room you shared with Levi and searched for the pants you wore that day when you visited your father. You found the letter, folded in the pocket. You'd washed the pants and put them away, but haven't really used them again since that day. 

The letter was wrinkled from the paper getting wet and the ink was probably smudged and faded. You put it away on the night stand's drawer anyway, saving the little piece of your father's wisdom to read later, when your mind was not so clouded and you had the opportunity to actually make sense of its contents. 

You exited the room and ran into Levi in the hall. "I was just going to join the production line," you voiced. There was no one else there, so you hurried to close the distance between you and hugged him, feeling reassured in his embrace. He wasn't one for public displays of affection and he had informed you of it before the possibility even crossed your mind. It was ok and you didn't push him about it, besides, you weren't much into PDA yourself anyway, the scouts overactive imaginations didn't need any more material concerning their OTP.

"We finished," Levi replied, "everyone's exhausted, but the soap is ready to be shipped." Levi made the special ingredient himself, so the scouts just had to add the water and the filler, stuff to give the liquid soap texture, color and a scent. The three spoonfuls per bottle of Levi's secret elixir of cleanliness was what made the soap so effective, though no one except the author knew what was in it. 

"Already?" You exclaimed in surprise. "That was fast, maybe we should give them a treat for their efforts," you suggested, trying to focus on the positive things you could do, rather than the things you had no control over.

"You always want to give everyone treats for everything, no wonder your dog is fat," Levi critiqued.

"A little positive reinforcement can go a long way, and Fluffy isn't fat, she's just fluffy," you defended. "Now to think of a good treat..."

"They don't deserve a treat, they need to work harder," Levi insisted.

"You're just bitter because they kept calling you Levi the unicorn behind your back," you teased.

"Whose fault was that? You're the most hardheaded girl I've ever met, literally." Thanks to your healing, the headbutt during your fight with Levi a few days ago had left you without noticeable consequences, despite it being painful when it actually happened. He was not so fortunate and developed a big bump on his forehead.

"I still think you were too hard on poor Armin. He only called you captain unicorn to your face by accident and he apologized immediately," you recalled.

"Then fainted like a wimp," Levi shook his head hopelessly.

"Only because you glared at him. If looks could kill, you would have annihilated every living creature on the planet." You wondered if that's how Levi looked when he took down titans. If they were any smarter, surely they would know to run for their lives. 

"If you insist on making something for them, why not popcorn," Levi suggested. "I heard the scouts teasing Yeager about wanting popcorn, I'm not sure what that was about, but a good number of them seemed to be in on it. Is that supposed to be code for something?" Levi eyed you suspiciously as you recalled Hange's fanfiction and blushed.

"Um... Maybe?" You laughed nervously. "I'm not telling," you firmly declared and tried to look determined.

"Something I would disapprove of?" Levi's suspicion increased.

"Maybe..." You admitted, taking a step back and searching for an escape route that didn't involve getting Hange and the others into trouble.

"Tell me," Levi stepped forward and you stepped back some more, realizing that you were now inside the room and Levi was locking the door behind him. So much for an easy escape.

You firmly planted yourself in the middle of the room and gave Levi your best look of stubbornness, you weren't about to back yourself into a wall. "I'm not telling and you can't make me." You crossed your arms, pouted adamantly and stomped your foot for emphasis.

"We'll see," Levi stepped closer, but you didn't move an inch or react in any way. You kept staring at the wall behind him in indifference, determined not to react to anything he did... Until he gently bit you on the neck, leaving you with no other choice but to react.

"L-Levi," you gasped, but refused to spill the beans. "I'm not a tattle tell, I know how to keep my silence," you remained firm in your determination.

"Have it your way," he released you and took a few steps towards the door.

"Huh?" You blinked in confusion. "You're giving up?"

"Yes," Levi replied. "I doubt you'd hide it from me if it was anything really important."

"You're right about that, but aren't you curious?" You asked in surprise.

"I know how to keep my curiosity," Levi countered. He took another step towards the door.

"What about the popcorn?" You moved to catch up with him.

"The brats can make it themselves," Levi decided.

"I'll help them," you stated, just to fill the silence.

"Go ahead," Levi said indifferently.

A moment of silence passed as the two of you walked out of the room and towards a destination unknown to you. "It's not going to work," you stated stubbornly. "Not bribery or indifference will make me speak... Unless the bribery involves a full pardon for Hange and all of them."

The mention of Hange's name provided enough of a hint for Levi to come up with a theory. "Hange was reading fanfiction about us at the mess hall again, wasn't she?" 

You blinked in surprise, he knew about that, plus the occasion you witnessed was apparently not the first time it happened. "Well, yes, but don't be angry at her. She's just trying to be supportive in her own way."

"Half of the things she writes are physically impossible," Levi informed as he made his way to the kitchen with you following him.

"I know, but-" you paused and gave the statement some more thought, perhaps a little too much thought. "Half of the things she writes? Don't you mean all of them?"

"Nah, only about half," Levi started digging around the pantry.

"Oh..." You couldn't help it but to wonder which of the fanfiction scenes were actually realistic. You shook your head in an effort to clear it, while Levi was still busy looking for something. That memory of the day you tried to bathe Fluffy and didn't knock on the door picked the most inconvenient times to pop up to the front of your mind. 'Don't think about that,' you mentally told yourself. 'Don't remember it, don't think, don't think, don't...' You paused as Levi handed you a bag of corn. 'Wait a minute, he's my boyfriend now, for real, doesn't that give me license to think and remember as much as I want?' 

"What are you blushing about now?" Levi interrupted your thoughts.

"Nothing!" You quickly changed the subject. "We're making popcorn?"

"No, you are making popcorn, you're the one who wants to spoil the brats, I'm just here to make sure you don't make a mess," Levi took a seat, leaving you to make the popcorn yourself.

"Fine," you began to prepare everything. "I'll make the popcorn all by myself and I'll even wash all the dishes all by myself."

"I suppose I could help with that," Levi offered with a tone of nonchalance, though you knew he enjoyed everything related to cleaning.

"You really must be a unicorn," you concluded. "Only a mythological creature can be this clean. Levi the magical unicorn of cleanliness!"

"You really want the popcorn to get cancelled, don't you?" Levi warned.

You laughed, "no one else is here."

"That doesn't mean you can tease me in private," Levi argued.

"But you said I could do whatever I wanted as long as it was in private," you reminded. "Which means I can call you Levi, the magical unicorn of cleanliness and boop you as much as I want. You're the one who said it was ok." Your eyes were focused on preparing the popcorn and listening to its delicious popping sounds, taking in the pleasant scent. 

You didn't notice Levi sneaking up behind you until his arms were around your waist. "That means that I can do whatever I want too," he whispered in your ear.

Your face instantly turned scarlet against your will, "I guess that's fair," you pushed the words out in a quiet stutter. You leaned into his warmth and closed your eyes... Then suddenly, he was gone. 

You blinked in confusion, as Sasha entered the kitchen with a voracious expression. "I smell popcorn!" She declared as if in a trance.

You looked at Sasha, then looked around to find Levi sitting across the kitchen, supervising with mild interest. It never failed to surprise you how fast he moved, no wonder not even ninjas could take him. "I'm making popcorn for everyone who helped out with making the soap."

Sasha's eyes lit up with joy, "that's me! I mean, not only me, but it includes me!" She cheered.

"It's a nice day, let's eat outside," you suggested.

"Yes!" Sasha agreed, though as long as there was food involved, you could have invited her to eat in the middle of a titan infested field and she'd still go. "I'll get everyone so we can get started." She ran off.

"See how happy the scouts are when you give them treats?" You grinned at Levi.

"Don't spoil them," he warned. "They better not lazy about in the practice mission even if we're not going outside. It'll be your first mission, it's inside the walls but you better not slack off," Levi reminded in all seriousness.

"I won't," you assured, pouring the popcorn into a large bowl and carrying it out. You were actually pretty excited about the mission, though you reminded yourself that it probably wouldn't be easy. "Aren't you coming?"

"I'll wash the popcorn pot first," Levi decided, that was perhaps more so his treat than the popcorn itself.

"Quick question before I go, are you secretly a super ninja?" you asked. "Because you move faster than regular ninja." He only rolled his eyes in response. "Oh, I know, you're a unicorn ninja!"

"(Name)," he warned threateningly. You had the audacity to blow raspberries at him, but in a split second found yourself trapped in a kiss that shut you up for good. The bowl of popcorn slipped out of your hands and spilled a few golden treats on the floor. Levi managed to catch the bowl and most of the popcorn was safe in it, but he still glared at the small mess on the floor in horror, "clumsy brat." 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when Levi warned Reader-chan not to stick out her tongue at him? Once again, yay for continuity! XD
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	40. Chapter 40: Simulacrum

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 40: Simulacrum

It was raining something fierce and the constant drops of water hitting your face were getting annoying. It was hard to see where you were going, but there were so many trees around that there was a good chance your ODM gear hooks would reach one of them, even if it may not be exactly the one you were hoping for. You stopped on a tree branch and looked around, you had lost track of Levi again. How did he move so fast in the rain? 

You suddenly felt the branch shake and nearly slipped off it, but Levi reached out to steady you. He had appeared out of nowhere, landing on the branch next to you, though it was thankfully thick enough to support you both. "One more time," you challenged stubbornly. Though the scouts tried to begin their missions with good weather if it was possible, the weather might change unexpectedly, or an emergency might happen on a rainy day, so being prepared to maneuver under unfavorable weather conditions was necessary. There would be a mission simulacrum tomorrow and hopefully the weather would be nicer. It would happen within the walls, so there wouldn't be any real danger, but you still wanted to do well. 

"At least you're not slacking off with your training, but aren't you forgetting something?" Levi waited for you to point out the vital detail.

"Fuel," you replied. "I have enough for one more race, but if this was a combat situation, I would have to save it for an emergency only," you dutifully recited. 

"And how are you going to head back after the race?" Levi asked.

"I'll walk," you had been caught with that detail, but you weren't about to admit it.

Levi shook his head hopelessly, though you got the feeling he was somewhat amused by your stubbornness. "Let's go back, we're done training for today. We'll catch colds if we stay out here much longer. Besides, it's late, everyone will be wondering where we went... and coming up with theories." He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around your waist. 

"It wouldn't entirely be a lie," you smiled. 

"They'll assume we spent 90% of the time kissing and 10% training instead of the other way around," Levi pointed out.

"10%? But we haven't done anything," you reminded.

"Yet," it was more like 15% really, since you spent a good while up in that tree, but you had been training hard, so it was a well earned break. The rain wasn't so bad anymore when you had other sensations to focus on, mainly Levi's kisses, his hands caressing your body, your hands enjoying his body, and other such more interesting things than the rain. 

"I'm really worried, guys. I mean, who's late to dinner when there's roasted turkey and mashed potatoes with cheese on the menu?" You heard Sasha's concerned voice on the ground below.

"I don't think anything bad happened, maybe they just lost track of time," Eren tried to offer some reassurance.

"They might have gone back already and we missed them," Mikasa suggested.

"Or maybe they want to be left alone..." Armin quietly voiced.

"I see them!" Sasha suddenly exclaimed. "They're making out on that tree over there!"

"Sasha, no!" Armin immediately tried to stop her from pointing and being so loud. 

"We should go back now," Mikasa urged.

"Yeah, they're fine, nothing to worry about, let's go," Eren hastily agreed and the four of them retreated in a hurry.

You watched them run off and waited a moment before asking. "Aren't we going back?"

"Why? No one will worry about us now," Levi had a point, he had a very good point, and by now he was kind of used to the scouts' theories, so why not make the best of it?

xoxox xox xoxox

Thankfully, the day of the simulacrum was sunny. You sat in a tree, your legs dangling lazily from the branch as you watch for imaginary titans in the horizon. You were a scout who had no missions to go on until business was settled at Sina. Yet with the departed Mona Lisa's products rotting in storage and dozens of merchants fighting for their ownership while some of the food could still be salvaged, the supreme court had more pressing matters to tend to than reconsider activating the Survey Corps. You wondered why some of the scouts didn't snap and go vigilante. You might have considered it, yet Levi's past experience as an outlaw didn't end all that well, but then again, he actually got caught, sort of. 

Your mind drifted to Tony and you wondered where he was. You consumed every bit of news that reached your senses, but not the newspaper, nor the rumor mill had anything to say about the missing boy. You hadn't seen Artie or Melinda in a long time, and your father was still stuck in Rose, preventing him from joining the search at Sina. You had a feeling Erwin had more reasons than what it may appear to keep him there, but it was just a baseless theory at the moment. 

You blinked yourself out of your daze and watched for the signal, a kite rose above the trees, you noted its location and color, a normal titan. Since the scouts couldn't go outside, a series of simulacrums were being practiced. The repetitive training with ODM gear had gotten boring and the scouts' restlessness was becoming more obvious. Concerned that everyone would fall into a pattern that reduced practicality and dulled the senses, Erwin set up a series of exercises to simulate missions outside wall Rose.

They didn't want the scouts commander making too much noise at Rose, so instead of flares, the quieter and cheaper kites were used to signal the approach of imaginary titans. "Red flare!" You called out and the words were repeated by the scouts on your neighboring trees, then by their neighbors and so on. You made your way down from the tree. The scouts were currently camping out. Sometimes, they had to make such stops to rest and allow their horses to recover. Though the simulacrum was conducted on foot, the presence of a titan nearby meant that the stop was over.

You got into formation, it was a smaller version of the formation you would be using outside and everyone was in sight and earshot of each other, though the scouts in the far left would have to shout very loudly for you to hear them, which wasn't necessary, since the messages were meant to be relayed anyway. You ran through the forested area near the scouts base, trying to stay in formation. Running wasn't exactly your forte and increased cell density might make your legs stronger, but it would also drain energy and give you extra weight to carry, so your special ability was essentially useless for speed and agility. At least Knight would carry you if this was a real mission. 

The echo of "green flare," reached you and you almost repeated it too soon, but managed to hold back your voice. Since you were using your voice to simulate the flares, pointing was used to indicate their imaginary position. You watched for the person in front of you, Sasha, to repeat the command and point, having caught sight of the person in front of her. You relayed the command and pointed in the same direction as Sasha, with Connie echoing your words and direction soon after.

You continued running until the echo of a "black flare!" reached you. You watched were Sasha was pointing and mimicked the action, echoing her words. Levi was the only one on a horse, to signify the titans' speed advantage due to their superior size. You thought Eren would have been a much more realistic candidate for that, but he wasn't supposed to transform unless it was absolutely necessary and certainly not for a practice mission within Rose. you tried not to laugh as you scattered out of the way along with your comrades, while Levi rode in on Cali, holding the black kite.

"Let's take it out before it steps on anyone!" Hange called out, you joined Connie in running behind Levi, who sat there for a moment, before sending his horse running forward. Hange ran towards him from the side, but Cali sped up, carrying Levi away. "That's a really fast titan, but it's not too big, let's catch it for my research!"

A bit tired of flying kites all day, Levi decided to get creative with his role and turned around, running back. Though he wasn't actually going to trample anyone, you were supposed to get out of the way as if a titan was running around. You couldn't get too close unless you snuck up behind him, or else it would be declared that you had been stepped on and you would be out of the game. 

"Regroup and distract it, protect the formation!" Hange declared. "Hey, titan, over here!" 

Levi completely ignored Hange and ran towards Connie, who had committed the unforgivable crime of standing around with an unsure expression. The echo of "red flare," was heard, but how could that be? Levi was right there and he was holding the black kite.

Krista came running in on horseback, holding a red kite. "I'm sorry about this, but I got eliminated so I'm a titan now." Everyone was watching out for Levi, but in the battle field, you might have more than one titan to watch out for at once. Unfortunately, Connie was too focused on getting away from Levi, looking more scared than if he had seen an actual titan, and ran right into Krista's path. He froze upon realizing what he had done. "I think this means you got eaten," Krista informed gently.

"Aw, chased by an abnormal, then eaten," Connie frowned.

"Oh, don't feel too bad about it, you lasted pretty long," Krista offered some consolation.

"Titans don't talk to humans," Levi reminded, while he chased after Jean, who was gasping for breath and ready to fall over from all the running.

"Sorry!" Krista moved on to chase after you. "Here I come, (Name), I'm going to eat you!" She tried to sound ferocious, but it didn't come out that way. If it was Sasha on the other hand... She could certainly make a believable hungry titan impression.

"You let your guard down, titan! Hiya!" Hange swung her training swords, slashing at the empty air in front of her.

"Oh no!" Krista gasped, "I've been slain!" She lowered her red kite and galloped away, calling out, "I'm melting!"

"Hange!" Levi scolded. "You're very irresponsible, Jean would have been trampled by the abnormal by now."

"No way! Didn't you see Sasha right behind you? She totally took out the abnormal!" Hange argued.

"She didn't get close enough to make a deep enough cut," Levi argued back.

"You're just mad because (Name) gets to tag along with my team on her first mission outside," Hange argued back. She had told you that you would likely get moved around later, and probably end up on Levi's team, but for now you had to show that you could, as she put it, 'play without the coach,' since he had personally trained you. Although there was no telling when exactly that mission would take place.

"Um..." Sasha moved her swords up and down, "slash, slash?" She voiced unsure. "Dead titan?" Levi glared at her and she stepped back. "dead scout?"

"No, that's definitely a dead titan!" Hange cheered.

Before the argument could continue, the cheerful echo of "yellow flare!" reached you. The simulacrum had ended. With all the running around you've done all day, you were certainly tired. You were on watch during the last stop and it wasn't long before you were on the move again, so you really didn't have much time to recover. 

You saw Eren heading over, from the direction you had come from before, looking left and right, waiting to spot his usual group. Armin came running from the right and Mikasa followed from the same direction, but further ahead. The trio greeted each other and started a quiet conversation.

"Food!" Sasha cheered. "It's almost dinner time!"

"Dinner has to be made first," you reminded her.

"Oh I'm sure it's done by now," Sasha was doing her hungry titan impression without even realizing it again.

"Um... actually, Armin, Mikasa and I are supposed to make it, and since we've been here doing the practice mission the whole time, it's not even started yet," you reminded, much to her disappointment. Sasha's face froze with a hungry expression, her eye twitching slightly in disbelief. "Sorry, I'll go get started now," you dashed off.

Eren, Mikasa and Armin had stopped to wait for you to join them, as they guessed you would, since you had the dinner duties together that evening. "I can take your place if you want. I was planning to help Mikasa and Armin with dinner anyway," Eren offered. "Isn't it your nine month anniversary today? Or was that just Hange making up stuff?"

You recalled the particular scene he was referring to, in which Hange, in Levi's absence, teased you about having a mini-Levi hidden somewhere, since it had been nine months since your wedding. "Yeah, she was making stuff up," you replied.

"I knew it," Armin quietly nodded.

Although the anniversary did coincide with the arranged wedding, albeit you haven't really been keeping close track of time. "It has been nine months," you acknowledged, "but aren't anniversaries supposed to be a yearly thing?"

Eren shrugged, "I thought so too, but Hange mentioned it, so I thought you might have plans or something."

"Not really," the four of you reached the scouts base. Levi had gone to the stables to return Cali. 

"Guys, wait up!" Sasha hurried to keep up with you and your companions. "I'll help make dinner, then it'll be done faster and we can eat sooner!" She offered. The five of you went off to the kitchen to make dinner, the mission had been fake, but it was still tiring.

xoxox xox xoxox

The next day a debriefing occurred. Levi woke you up in the morning as usual. You wondered how much sleep he actually got. Sometimes if you woke up in the middle of the night, before the sun was up, he was gone, despite having been there when you fell asleep. One time you drifted in and out of sleep in the middle of the night and thought you saw him exiting the room, already in his uniform. He glanced back at you and quietly said something that you interpreted to be 'go back to sleep' but you weren't sure if that was a dream. You mostly slept through the night without waking though, as the training was very tiring. 

Yet without fail, Levi would be there to wake you in the morning, to remind you that you were being a "lazy slob" and that you needed to hurry up and "wash before breakfast." Then he'd kiss you until your response indicated that you were more awake than asleep, it was very difficult to pretend to be asleep like that. 

This morning, Levi had news, "we have a meeting with Erwin after the general debriefing for yesterday's simulacrum. Don't tell anyone about it," you nodded, yawning. "(Name)," you focused on him, he was using his 'what I'm saying is very important' tone. "No one is to know."

"Right, no one will know," you agreed. Once he was satisfied with your agreement, he let you go about your business getting ready for a new day, then the two of you headed to the mess hall for breakfast. 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Curious about the meeting? :P
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	41. Chapter 41: Vigilante

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 41: Vigilante

Everyone was gathered together listening to Erwin go over the previous day's simulacrum, discussing what was done right and what needed improvement. At least the pretend casualties were minimal. There was nothing out of the ordinary from the debriefing and it went by without any peculiarities. Afterwards, everyone went about their assigned tasks for the day, and you recalled you had to go to Erwin's office. When you got there, Levi was already present. You curiously took the offered seat, wondering what this was about. "This is not an official Survey Corps meeting," Erwin announced, "in fact, this meeting never happened." 

Curious, you listened with attention, nodding your quiet agreement of silence. You weren't sure what this was about, but Levi was in on it, so if anything, it had to be worthwhile or he wouldn't be involved. 

"As you know, there is a large quantity of food products stored in warehouses owned by Mona Lisa. The court has been unable to resolve the arguments between those involved in her business transactions and no one has been able to claim anything. As a result of that, a lot of the food is starting to go bad," Erwin explained, or rather reviewed, since that unpleasant truth was something you already knew. "Certain people from the Military Police," whom he clearly wasn't going to refer to by name, "have decided to take the merchandise and sell it illegally to several shops at Rose at a generous discount. Rose would benefit greatly from this transaction, but the missing goods will cause trouble... unless the warehouse happens to catch fire and the goods are presumed destroyed."

You were surprised, shocked even. Vigilantism wasn't what the Survey Corps were about, even if the cause was righteous. Part of you was excited, though it had a hard time showing through the surprise. "A fire," you mused, considering the risks. "Might be a bit hard to control."

Erwin nodded, smiling, as if satisfied by your reaction. You got the feeling he might have second thoughts about sharing this information with you if you seemed too eager. "Which is why the proper measures have been taken. What I need from you is absolute secrecy."

You nodded, "alright, I promise." An explanation of the plan followed. Some of the members of the Military Police had reached to the Garrison for illegal assistance and they had in turned reached to the Survey Corps. The system might be corrupt, especially in the Military Police, but at least this time the citizens of Rose who were suffering after Mona Lisa took over so much of the farmlands would catch a break. 

The mission was simple, go to the warehouses and set them aflame, from the inside out to minimize the danger by burning a few small fires, rather than a single massive one. The fires would be put out quickly, but had to be allowed to burn just enough to serve as false evidence of the supposed destruction of the food, which would just be empty crates. 

You would later found out that you father had called in a few favors from the Military Police to help make this happen and Erwin was apparently aware of it, but did absolutely nothing to stop him, you suspected he might have indirectly encouraged it given the special circumstances. Although your father was unaware of your involvement, which wasn't exactly part of the plan from the start.

You left for Sina soon after and made it there when it was dark. The horses were hidden away by members of the Military Police you didn't know, but Levi seemed to recognize. You had no ODM gear for the mission and instead of the scouts uniform you and Levi were dressed all in black like ninja, blending in with the night and with the remnants of the Gardenia guards.

Levi was sneakier than you when it came down to it and the less people involved the better, so you figured that as some point you'd have to split up, otherwise there would be no point in having two people in the same place doing the same thing. You arrived at a row of warehouses behind tall fences with a few ninja guards and a few Military Police officers. "The Military Police will ignore you or help you, the ninja won't," Levi warned. "Go to the side and you can go in from there, then set up the fires as planned."

"Got it," you nodded in understanding. You watched as Levi ran off in the opposite direction and and took off towards your own destination. There were a lot of Military Police guards on your side. One wordlessly opened the gate just enough for you to slip past the tall fence and you hurried to the first warehouse. You set the empty crates on fire and moved on quickly to the building next to it. 

Unlike the first one, this one was actually locked. You were supposed to set them all aflame and the wooden area that held the metal parts where the lock was looped closed appeared to be suspiciously weakened. You concluded that you were supposed to break it, easier said that done. You used your special abilities to strengthen yourself and charged the door repeatedly until the wood gave out noisily and allowed you clandestine passage. You cringed at what a noisy ninja you were being and hurried to try to make up for lost time. 

You set the crate aflame and hurried to leave, or at least that's what you were trying to do when the world turned into an invasion of noise and light, pain captured all your senses and you were thrown forward, flaming debris falling all around. You rolled back and forth trying to extinguish the flames that caught you and dragged yourself to your feet, stumbling to escape the approaching footsteps and shouting voices. You were surrounded by ninja, with the Military Police surrounding them, but not doing anything to detain them. The MP officer in charge started demanding their identities as well as custody of the intruder, you.

The ninja did not comply and instead responded by throwing smoke bombs at the ground and making seeing the direction of their escape impossible. You were lifted into the air by the ninja in ODM gear. This was a trap and by the looks of it the Military Police wasn't in on it. They were debating whether or not they should give chase or wash their hands of the whole incident, blaming it all on an intruder posing as a ninja. The MP wasn't exactly happy about having them around, it was their job to guard the goods after the course took them until it was decided who the legal owner was following Mona Lisa's death. The ninja also made their illegal sales harder to conduct.

After the smoke cleared, you looked around but saw nothing but the passing scenery and the ninja. The MPs were out, they had opted to stay out of this and blame everything on the ninja. It was a fine escape for them and the easiest way to get on the clear. Levi had been on the other side of the row of warehouses when the explosion occurred. He must have heard it, but you couldn't tell if he had followed the sound to its source on time to see the ninja escaping with you. Besides, how would he even know you were being taken? That explosion could have been anything and you were dressed as a ninja, blending in with them and the night.

You tried to move, but were completely numb. The explosion must have fractured something with the intensity of the impact and your body went on overdrive trying to heal you. You could feel your skin growing as hot as the flames with the speed of the regeneration. You were glad your burns were healing, but it was draining your energy very quickly and you had already used some of it breaking into the warehouse. You allowed yourself to go limp, until you were fully healed, you wouldn't be able to fight, that would only drain your energy faster. 

This was supposed to be an easy job, no ODM gear needed, they didn't want any links to the MP or scouts or anything, as the ninja used slightly different looking ODM that you didn't have access to. You had a feeling that the trap wasn't necessarily from the MP, their contacts at the Garrison or Erwin might have been suspicious if it was. Besides, the MP wouldn't cause unneeded tension with people they negotiated with regularly, but what did the ninja have? With the Gardenia name basically doomed to fade away, their clan would be dissolved, unless they found a new sponsor. 

You were taken through a tunnel by the five ninja and tossed to the ground, the ninja surrounding you. A familiar man emerged from the shadows with a dim lamp to make his features just barely visible, but you knew who he was. "Mustache," you growled in recognition. 

"That's Don Rocco to you," the fact that he was showing his face meant that he didn't expect his prisoner to escape, or to live for very long. "You do seem to know who I am, even if you insist on addressing me with dangerous disrespect. I wonder who you are?" The ninja mask was yanked from your head, revealing your face for Rocco Montrel, alias Mustache, head of the Sina mafia, to see. "The dying girl? What a lucky break! I just wanted a list of the MPs that dared to steal my goods out of you, but it looks like I'll get so much more. Transport the girl to a secure location. Fredrick will have to show up and listen to my demands now."

"You won't get anything from my uncle! He's not a criminal anymore, he's not evil!" You argued in sudden burst of anger. Rocco have you a mocking look and motioned for his guards to take you away. Two ninja grabbed your arms and began to drag you away. You were healed by now and focused as much as you could in making your arms stronger, though they looked the same on the outside, their density and weight changed. 

The ninja exchanged glances, as if noting that the skin that a moment ago gave in to the pressure of their hands was now much more solid, as if made of dense highly compacted muscle, but it was too late for them to react. You pulled your arms free from their grasp, grabbing onto the front of their uniforms in a swift motion and smashed their heads together. The other three ninja went on the attack, while Rocco shouted words of anger and disbelief. He was not informed of your abilities and had been tricked into believing that your illness had weaken the elixir making it all balance out into an ordinary human without the same abilities as Tony.

The tunnel was suddenly filled with smoke and someone grabbed you and pulled you away, "retreat." Levi, you didn't know how, but he actually found you and came in from the other side of the tunnel. He probably knew the mazes that led to the underground city better than even Rocco's people. You hurried through the smoke following Levi until you could see where you were going. 

In the distance, the warehouses were burning, the fire was kept under control, not affecting the areas around it, but the fire fighters did a good job of pretending to struggle with it. Some of the buildings in the middle were left intact though, the fire not allowed to risk them due to concerns of the danger of more possible explosions. You and Levi made it back to the horses and retreated without any time to look back. The MPs blamed everything on the ninja and were detaining them to protect their own names. Rocco must have retreated in the midst of the commotion, not wanting to expose himself further. 

You wondered if Rocco had Tony, but doubt that was true. Without the original sample of the formula, your uncle couldn't do much except be silenced or be used to capture Tony. The way Rocco had mentioned demands made you think he still needed Fred for something. A theory surfaced in your mind, what if Tony was with Fred the whole time? If Fred's days as a desperate experimenter were truly over, then Tony would be better off with him than with Mona. It was still hard to imagine Fred as cruel after he had been so kind to you growing up.

The next day at the scouts base, you and Levi went on with your normal routine as if nothing unusual had happened the previous night, though the scouts had their own theories about your tired state. You didn't have the energy to blush about their likely thoughts anymore, so you just let them be and went about your day. Erwin had been informed of the happenings and would take care of things regarding the MPs, though it was still troublesome that Rocco knew that you weren't exactly an ordinary human. For the time being, making a direct move would be too dangerous, so you had to let things be. In the mean time the scouts, you included, continued training for a mission they didn't know when they would go on, but they prepared for it as if it could happen at any moment.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 41 chapters? I didn't plan for the story to be this long when I started out, but the plot bunnies kept hopping around and here we are.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	42. Chapter 42: Implications

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 42: Implications

Your head collided with the table above harshly and you let out an undignified, "ow," as your brain processed the implications behind the calmly spoken question. After recovering from the sudden impact, you turned your attention back to the spot you were cleaning on the table's underside. 

"Well?" Levi inquired from a few feet away, momentarily pausing his task of cleaning under the bed to glance in your direction.

"What?" You blinked in confusion. 

"Are you coming"?" Levi repeated, though the context of his question didn't quite sink in for you.

"Sure," you nodded with little fuss, then paused to add, "where are we going?"

"The bath," he reminded. Your head collided with the table above again when your brain once again processed the implications and furthermore confirmed that they were true. "Why do you insist on breaking the table with your head?" 

You had asked Levi what he was going to do today, to which he replied he would clean the room and take a long bath afterwards, as it was his day off, unless there was something you wanted to do. You haven't really thought about it and couldn't come up with an answer on the spot, so you just joined him. "Oh, I thought you were kidding." You continued the cleaning while you allowed it all to sink in with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

"You already cleaned that spot," Levi pointed out.

"Oh, right, looks like the underside of the table's all clean," you declared, not really analyzing if it was up to his standards or not. 

Levi joined you under the table, looking at your work critically, "(Name)," he frowned in disappointment, "what did I tell you about corners?"

"Corners are the deadly ally of dust." You dutifully repeated, then hurried to go over the corners underneath the table where the furniture's legs were. 

"You never answered," Levi pointed out while he retreated from under the table.

To your credit, you didn't bump your head a third time. "Oh, well... You know, I have to walk Fluffy, but if I'm back early then, yeah." You saw Levi nod from the corner of your eyes and stopped yourself from rambling further. 'I have to walk the dog?' You quietly thought to yourself. 'What a stupidly obvious excuse, now he probably thinks I don't want to. Of all the times I could've picked to suddenly feel insecure, why now?' You frowned at yourself as you attacked the wood with your cleaning cloth, then moved on to the nightstand, cleaning the top, sides and bottom.

"(Name)" you looked at Levi, though your hands kept moving as you did. "Clean, don't rip the paint off, just clean." he reminded. You realized how rough you were being with the furniture. Your right arm felt heavy, as if you've been putting your energy into its density without noticing. You nodded and returned to your cleaning. Levi had moved to cleaning the window, he loved cleaning windows, it was ridiculous, yet endearing.

xoxox xox xoxox

The day went by rather uneventfully, except Levi actually took note of your energy when cleaning and sort of complimented you, if 'aggressive cleaning' could be considered a compliment, too bad it was the result of venting frustration. 

That evening you went to walk Fluffy, just because you said you would, and instead found Armin playing fetch with her. You decided that she was getting enough exercise as it was and let them be. Fluffy seemed accustomed to her new haircut. You didn't dye her fur anymore and the pink had gone away, she was completely white now. Levi had the "dust collecting excess fluff" as he called it, cut off. He coat was shorter now, but still fuzzy enough to clothe her from the elements. She was probably more comfortable with the shorter fur anyway, since the weather was becoming warmer.

As you walked on, Mikasa spotted you and after a moment's hesitation, hurried to catch up with you. You greeted each other normally, then she asked, "are you busy right now?"

"Not really," you replied, "I was just going for a walk to pass the time. Do you need anything?"

"I wanted to talk, mind if I come along?" Mikasa revealed.

"Sure, let's go," the two of you left, off to the streets of Rose, which were not too heavily transited at that hour. People were either home or at a few public establishments, bars and cafes, but they weren't walking down the streets and most of the shops had closed for the day. 

Your first guess as to the topic of Mikasa's conversation was what she knew about you. Maybe she had gotten curious about your healing abilities and thought it was about time she received an explanation. She didn't bring up that subject though, instead bringing some context to the conversation. "You're married," she stated, and you wondered if she had somehow learned the secret origin of your arranged marriage. She paused, as if trying to rephrase her question in a way that didn't sound like she was prying. 

You gave her an encouraging smile, "it's ok, whatever it is, you can just tell me."

Mikasa nodded and finally inquired, "I was wondering about how you... well, how you got Levi's attention."

"Oh..." You weren't even sure how to answer that, but tried to reply as honestly as possible. "He noticed I liked him and I guess he decided that I had traits that he liked and there was no reason why it shouldn't work. He did think of reasons why it wouldn't," you mused, "but none of them fit, so that just left the reasons why it would. I'm sorry, am not making a lot of sense, am I?"

"I understand what you mean," Mikasa voiced thoughtfully, "so Levi knew you liked him and he thought about it. How did you make him notice that you liked him?"

"I didn't," you admitted. "I think he noticed before I even realized it myself. Then when I did realize it, I was kind of in denial. I think my father knew it too before I fully admitted it. So then I told him," there was supposed to be a story that constituted your background with Levi, but you were too focused on the memories to think about how the slightly vague tale would fit with the previously established narrative. "Actually, I thought he didn't like me, but the only way I could move on was if I got everything out of my system and let the rejection sink in, rather than holding on to some vague hint of hope. It turned out better than I expected," you blushed at the memories. "I guess, his final reasoning was to not say anything if I didn't," you mused. Mikasa took it all in with a thoughtful expression. It wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking of. "So, are you going to confess to Eren any time soon?"

Mikasa stopped walking, a mix of denial and excuse ready on her lips, but instead she laughed, as if she knew just how hopeless it was to try to hide it. "I don't know," she admitted unsure. "Sometimes I think he likes me, but even if he does, that doesn't mean he wants to do anything about it. There's a lot going on and he's focused on that. He can turn into a titan, the future of the scouts is uncertain right now, not that it wasn't before. There's just so much to think about that I also think this may not be the best time to bring it up. I want Eren to know I'll wait for him as long as he needs."

"If you've made your choice, then you should tell him, you said it yourself, you want him to know. Besides, this isn't a big secret, he has probably noticed by now, especially after what happened at the Christmas party," you reminded, causing her to blush at the memory of when she and Eren kissed. That had also been the first time you and Levi kiss, not counting on the cheek, though it was still mostly for the audience back then, though perhaps not entirely. Either way, it was certainly real now.

Mikasa nodded in determination, "you're right, it's not like I'm asking him to do anything or even give me an answer. I can be subtle and just let him know that I'll always be there for him. Thank you, (Name) and..."

"You're welcome, and my lips are sealed," you assured.

xoxox xox xoxox

Mikasa and you headed back to the scouts base. Mikasa went to find Eren and you, having somehow gotten over most of your nerves, went on your way back to your and Levi's room. That meant that the two of you were walking in the same direction for part of the way. You passed in front of Eren's door first. You gave Mikasa a thumbs up and were about to move along, when the voices coming from the room gave you pause. 

The door was carelessly left open a few inches, allowing the sounds of the conversation going on inside Eren's room to quietly flow out into the hallway. "And I just worry about it sometimes," Eren confessed. "You know, that she'll just get fed up with all the waiting and move on. But then there's a million other things I need to worry about too. I mean, I can turn into a titan and I don't even understand why."

"I don't think that changes anything for Mikasa," Armin's voice reassured from within the room. "If you're that worried about losing her then at least give her a clue. Let her know that she's not waiting in vain."

"And then what?" Eren inquired unsure.

"I don't know..." Armin initially replied, though Eren's sigh made it obvious that he wasn't being helpful and that prompted him to rephrase the answer. "Then you'll feel better and she'll feel better and nothing has to change right away."

"But will it ever, can it ever?" Eren's voice raised in volume as his frustration became evident. "I'm glad to be able to fight the titans, and I still want to get revenge on every last one of them, but I still don't know what I am or what I'll do other than that. Everything is just so uncertain and..." there was a pause and after a moment, he went on in a quieter tone. "Just what is she waiting for? I don't know what my future holds, so how can I ask her to wait? To wait for what?"

The door suddenly flew open, Armin jumped, Eren froze and you stood there in shock. Mikasa had pushed the door open with such force that it slammed against the wall and slightly bounced back, crooked on its weakened hinges. "I'll wait for you, no matter what," so much for being subtle. After speaking those words, Mikasa let out a breath, as if exhaling all her tensions, and calmly walked out of the room.

Eren stared after her in open mouth shock until Armin nudged him to move. Slowly at first, Eren took a few steps, then bolted with amazing speed, catching up to Mikasa further down the hall, in front of the stairs at the end. You couldn't tell exactly what they were saying, but there was blushing involved. 

You looked at Armin, who was still getting over his shock. He joined you at the doorway and glanced at the couple down the hall. "I guess I'll give them some space," he decided. Smiling, he added, "you encouraged Mikasa, didn't you? Thank you, I'm sure they'll work things out, I'm happy for them."

"You're welcome, though I don't think I did much," you replied. "Mikasa pretty much had things figure out. I'm not sure what was keeping her from acting, or Eren for that matter."

"I guess everyone backs away from doubts or the illusion of doubt sometimes," Armin mused, which gave you something to think about. "Well, I'm going back to my room. I think I'll read a little, then go to sleep early, I have breakfast duty tomorrow, we're making pancakes."

You walked with Armin in the direction opposite to Eren and Mikasa, parted ways with him in the next hall after exchanging good nights, then kept walking until you realized you didn't know where you were going. Well, you had been heading back to your room, but Eren and Mikasa were parked right in front of the stairs and you didn't want to interrupt them.

xoxox xox xoxox

Later, you entered your room, feeling satisfied that things were working out among your friends. Levi was sitting on the bed, wearing pajama pants, the light of the lamp illuminating his well toned bare torso. He held several papers with various notes and illustrations pertaining to scouting mission strategies. 

You didn't dwell on what the papers were other than scouts stuff and why he was looking at them, instead your eyes were drawn back to his exposed upper body and remained there until he spoke. "Are you just going to stand there?" 

He didn't sound impatient, but you still rushed to reply, albeit it was too late to cover up your staring. "Of course not," you closed the door behind you and suddenly the reality of the situation sunk in. Levi's day off was basically over, long bath day had gone by, he'd shower tomorrow and not take more time for it than what was needed to be his flawlessly clean self. "You took the bath without me..." You concluded.

Levi looked up from the papers with curiosity, though he still maintained his ever present poker face expression, you had just gotten better at reading the very subtle differences in his face. "I thought you didn't want to join me. Where did you go to walk the dog anyway?"

"I didn't," you admitted. "I'm late because Mikasa and Eren were confessing their love at the stairs and I didn't want to interrupt them." You had checked in on them discreetly and seen them shyly kiss on one occasion. Every other time you peeked in from the other end of the long hallway they were sitting at the stairs talking with a variety of expressions, ranging from smiles, to frustration, to regret, to stubborn determination, to blushing like ripe tomatoes. It was like they were recounting their entire lives to each other, even though they've for the most part, witnessed the same things. 

"It's about time," Levi concluded, not at all surprised by the well known fact that Mikasa and Eren liked each other. "I suppose I can excuse your tardiness."

"Eren's room was a few feet away, I don't know why they couldn't just talk there." You recalled the door and mentioned it in passing. "Eren's door needs some repairs, it partly came off one of its hinges and it's crooked."

"I move Eren out of the cellar and he not only prefers to obstruct traffic on the stairs, but breaks the door too? Maybe I should move him back." You knew Levi wasn't serious, though you still defended Eren.

"It wasn't really his fault, Mikasa broke it when she barged in to reassure Eren that she would wait for him as long as he needed. He was in his room talking to Armin at the time," you explained.

"And you and Mikasa were eavesdropping? You're corrupting my cadets," Levi shook his head in hopeless disapproval, though you could just barely detect a vague hint of amusement. "I might have forgiven you for being late, but I can't forgive this."

"My deepest apologies," you joked, then let out a breath, lamenting lost opportunities, it was ok though, it's not like it would be the end of the subject forever. "I'll make up for my transgressions tomorrow. I'm going to shower and go to bed. Armin let me know that there will be pancakes for breakfast tomorrow and I don't want to be late for that."

The next morning, you were late for breakfast...

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About this chapters ending... reach your own conclusions. Also, the one shot turned into a short story and part 1 is posted! It's called "Dreams"
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	43. Chapter 43: Half the Things, or Maybe More...

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 43: Half the Things, or Maybe More...

The passing of the week brought at least some good news, though there were uncertainties that still remained. The whole drama with Mona Lisa was resolved, at least in what concerned the Survey Corps as well as the general public. Tony, Artie and Melinda where nowhere to be found and your father kept trying to sneak off to look for them, only to be dragged back and told not to get in the way of the investigation. He was detained a few days ago, as in officially arrested, though he was back home now. The bakery and atelier remained close with only your father occupying the structure. 

You considered inviting your father to live at the scouts base and casually brought up the possibility during conversation, but before you could fully offer, he had refused. You didn't even have time to plan out how to ask Levi in your head, before you launched into an unsuccessful attempt to convince your father to accept the possibility. "He hasn't contacted me in a long time, if I'm at the base, the chances of him talking to me again will be less and he's the only one who knows..." Was your father's excuse for his adamant refusal. You realized that he was referring to your ever elusive uncle who had all but dropped off the face of the planet. 

Though there were still a lot of things to think about, for the time being, you closed your eyes and tried to clear your head, focusing on the pleasant sensations of the here and now...

xoxox xox xoxox

"Wow, look at those numbers," Hange exclaimed as she examined a sheet of paper. "That soap is really selling and now that the government sorted out Mona's mess and the merchants has mostly quieted, the scouts are finally out of the red numbers and we'll get our normal budget back."

"Now that our operations are not longer frozen, we will likely need to go on a mission soon. Mona Lisa's influence on the farmlands went further than what we expected," Erwin frowned at how that situation had blown up in their faces. "The boycotts that Gustav was tricked into influencing which led to Mona's purchase and the later temporary ceasing of work, left the seed supplies very low for the next farming season. The higher ups expect the Survey Corps to prove their worth by making up for it."

Hange put the paper down on the desk between them and gave the commander an incredulous look. "Are you serious?" She shook her head, "so they're sending us out to get more seeds or something?"

"In essence," Erwin got up from his desk, walking to the window of his office. He opened it, letting some fresh air inside. "It may seem like an odd mission, but it may turn out to be vital for the people that are counting on that food supply. If the price of food continues to rise because of another small harvest it'll be bad for everyone, especially for Rose."

"I guess we'll have to bring back a lot of seeds then. If we can prove ourselves by coming back without casualties, then the Survey Corps' good name would have been defended and we won't hear complaints about failed missions and tax wasting from people anymore, or at least not as many complaints." Getting excited, Hange considered the possibilities further, "maybe I'll make an interesting discovery out there!"

"I'll have a meeting with all the captains this afternoon at 1400 to go over the details, the cadets are to be briefed tomorrow and ready by the end of the week," Erwin decided.

"Gotcha, I'll let Levi know when I drop this off," Hange picked up the paper she had been examining before and exited Erwin's office.

xoxox xox xoxox

Out in the hallway, on her way to give Levi the paper in his room, Hange saw Eren and Jean talking in front of Eren's room. "so, are you and Mikasa going out now?" Jean glared.

"Well..." Eren considered the question for a moment, a blush adorning his face. "Not exactly," he finally replied, though Jean's fleeting hope was soon dashed away by his next words. "It's more like a promise that we'll get married once the titans are all defeated."

"You what?" Jean loudly exclaimed, before collecting himself and trying to be rational. "You do realize that may never happen. She'll get tired of waiting for you."

"I'll make it happen!" Eren stubbornly argued, the volume of his voice and intensity of his tone raising. "Every last titan out there, I'll make them all disappear!" Jean took a step back, Eren could be pretty scary when he got all excited about fighting titans.

"Hey boys," Hange popped up out of seemingly nowhere, causing both Eren and Jean to jump in surprise. "Could you give this to Levi and tell him Erwin is having a meeting with all the captains today at 1400? Thanks!" Before they could reply to her request, she was gone, just as suddenly as she came.

Eren looked at the paper that had been shoved into his hands. It looked like some sort of accounting sheet. He shrugged, Hange said he had to deliver the document, not interpret it. "Let's go give this to Levi." His fierce tone and murderous atmosphere had dissipated entirely as he walked off towards the stairs.

Jean couldn't help it but to curiously follow. Eren could take care of the errand by himself, but he might as well tag along so he wouldn't think he was scared of him, or Levi, or anything. Besides, it's not like he had anything better to do at the moment anyway.

xoxox xox xoxox

Eren and Jean arrived in front of the closed door to Levi's room. They paused before knocking and listened to the sounds coming from the other side of the door.

"Hmm... That feels good... Ahh... Don't stop... This is so nice... Levi, you're wonderful!"

The two boys remained frozen, a pink tint invading both their faces. Jean swallowed his shock to find his voice and whispered. "Do you think he's doing that?"

"What do you mean that?" Eren whispered back, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

"You know, that," Jean searched for an eloquent wait to phrase it. "Popcorn," he finally settled for the keyword.

"Popcorn?" Eren repeated in confusion, before recalling the time of Hange's Levi x (Name) fanfiction reading and how he had asked about popcorn at random to try to prevent Hange from asking an embarrassing question. "Oh! Popcorn!" After a moment's thought, Eren shook his head. "I still say that's physically impossible."

Jean puffed out his chest and bragged, "I bet I could do it."

"No one could do it," Eren insisted. "But that's not the point. Whatever they're doing, and I'm sure it's not... that... popcorn... whatever it is, it's still... private, so we shouldn't interrupt."

"No kidding captain obvious!" Jean exclaimed, perhaps a little too loudly. "If we interrupt now, Captain Levi will kill us."

Eren nodded in agreement, and thought about what they could do. "Should we push this paper under the door with a note about the meeting, or should we come back later?"

Jean paused to think about it, then decided, "let's come back later. If we push the paper under the door, he'll know someone was here and that paper," Jean pointed at the document Eren held, "might make him ask Commander Erwin who sent it." 

"Then he'll say Hange and she'll say..." Eren's eyes widened in realization at the fatal mistake he almost made.

"Exactly, she'll say the names of the marked for death, us!" Jean completed.

"Ok, let's come back later than, good thing you pointed that out," Eren nodded.

Before Jean could comment on the fact that he saved the situation, the door to Levi's room was opened. The two boys jumped, then became still as statues in frozen shock and fear, as Levi demanded to know, "what are you two doing standing there?"

"We're sorry!" Eren and Jean recited in a shaky chorus before realizing that Levi was indeed fully clothed. They curiously began to try looking behind him, tilting their heads upward to see over Levi's shoulder, much to his annoyance.

"Who's at the door?" You curiously went over to the door. Your hair was covered in a particularly viscous shampoo, a towel draped around your shoulder to keep the stuff from dripping on your clothes. The sensation of Levi's fingers massaging your scalp was very pleasant (bless his wonderful neat freak hands!) and quite frankly you were not happy about the interruption. 

"Just these two," Levi glared at them, which reminded them that they were yet to state their purpose for being there.

"We brought you this," Eren held up the paper like a mix between shield and peace offering.

Levi snatched the document and glanced at it before inquiring, "is that all?"

"We also have a message," Eren continued.

Realizing that he hadn't done anything to justify his presence there, Jean quickly intervened. "Commander Erwin will be holding a meeting with all the captains today at 1400!"

"I see..." Levi nodded calmly, his voice perfectly level, which made Eren and Jean let out a unanimous breath of relief. "Now tell me, why are your faces so red?"

Eren and Jean looked at each other, at a loss for words, their faces growing even more red at the memory of what they had assumed was going on behind the close door. Hair washing, was not their guess. Then they both grew ghostly pale at the fear that Levi might think they were eavesdropping and assign them some terrible punishment. 

You curiously looked at the distressed young men and shook your head. "Was Hange reading weird fanfiction to anyone who would listen again?"Neither Eren nor Jean dared to voice a reply, but they both lowered their head, the red tint returning to their faces. You wondered if having their blood rush to their faces, then their feet, then their faces again so subsequently would be bad for their circulation. None the less, they didn't need to voice a reply, because their shamed expressions already spoke volumes. You spoke gently, since Levi was scaring them enough as it was. "You guys know that half the things Hange writes are physically impossible, don't you?"

Eren and Jean gasped in surprise, while Eren let out a victorious, "I knew it!" Before he could turn his attention to Jean and give him a big satisfying 'I told you so' as 'I told you so's often tend to be, he recalled the delicate situation he was in and bit his lip before he could speak any further, though thankfully, not hard enough to draw blood.

Levi's aura of extremely dangerous extreme annoyance was palpable, but before Eren and Jean could get an earful, you decided to show them some mercy and send them away. "Thanks for delivering the paper and message," you smiled sweetly.

"You're welcome!" Eren and Jean chorused as they unanimously saluted, perhaps out of habit as well as a sign of respect, since they were not about to wait for Levi to dismiss them himself before they made their hasty escape.

Levi let out a breath and shook his head. "Hange never learns not to meddle," he closed the door and suspiciously examined the floor with a critical eye.

"I didn't drip," you assured, before taking a seat again and waiting for Levi to continue.

"Your hair is already clean," Levi pointed out. "Besides, it's almost 2."

"Oh, right," you nodded, recalling that 1400 was 200pm. It was Levi's day off, but sometimes he had to do scouts stuff, there were no real days off for the Survey Corps after all. "I guess I'll go wash this off, have a good meeting." Making sure the towel prevented any bits of goopy shampoo from dripping off to the floor, you hurried to the bathroom, while Levi left the room.

xoxox xox xoxox

Hange was heading off to the Survey Corps captains meeting when she ran into Eren and Jean, who were having a very peculiar discussion. Armin and Connie were there, with Armin looking embarrassed and Connie constantly repeating, "you do have a point..." switching between agreeing with Eren and agreeing with Jean every time either of them said anything. 

Since she heard her name being mentioned, Hange curiously walked over and asked, "what are you talking about?"

The four boys, who were huddled in a circle of perceived secrecy, jumped in surprise at her sudden appearance, seemingly out of thin air. Jean decided to end this argument once and for all and asked. "Are the things you write in your fanfiction really physically impossible?"

Hange laughed, "of course they are," her laughter continued to echo while the boys watched in shock, mouths ajar, eyes wide. "Only about ten percent of the things I write are actually physically possible, but it's still fun to write about the things that are not."

"Ten percent?!" Jean exclaimed in disbelief.

Confused by the discrepancy, Eren pointed out, "(Name) said half the things you wrote were physically impossible."

Hange's laughter ceased all at once as she blinked in confusion and shock. "Really?" Eren and Jean nodded in confirmation. "Wow, that's... wow..." She paused, another more interesting thought appearing in her mind. "Did she happen to say which half?" Both Eren and Jean shook their heads and Hange smiled mischievously. "I guess I'll have to ask (Name) later." With that said, Hange went on her wait to the captains meeting with Erwin.

xoxox xox xoxox

Later, Levi returned to the room he shared with you to find you had finished removing the shampoo from your hair and drying it. You were sitting on the bed, squinting at a piece of paper. It was the letter your father had given you, which went through the wash, as you had forgotten it in your pants' pocket. The water had messed up the ink and the words were impossible to read. You looked up from it, as Levi entered. "How was the meeting?"

"We'll be going on a mission next week," Levi revealed, "we'll talk about the strategy tomorrow, there will be a meeting with all the squads, that should be announced at dinner today." 

"My first mission..." You recalled that you would be with Hange's team this time, though maybe you'd be with Levi in the next one. Stopping your thoughts from progressing further, you reminded yourself that the mission wasn't an occasion to hang out, lives would be at stake and you had to stay focused. You smiled, remaining positive, "I'll do my best."

"Just remember your training and be careful," Levi sat on the bed beside you, curiously examining the paper in your hands. "What's that?"

"A letter from my father, he said they were business tips for my eyes only. I forgot the paper in my pocket and washed it along with the pants. I finally got around to trying to figure out what it says but it's just impossible." Giving up on the blurry letters, you crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it in the trashcan, you'd just have to tell your father to write up those business tips for you again. "Do you have anything else you need to do today?" You asked, "or anything else I need to do?" It was your day off too, but that would inevitably change if something really needed to get done.

"Not really," Levi wrapped his arms around you and you leaned into him comfortably, returning the embrace. He kissed you, both of you enjoying every moment of it, then whispered in your ear, "want to find out if more things are possible after all?"

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I need to write Reader-chan's answer to that last question? Didn't think so...
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	44. Chapter 44: Mirages and Explosions

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 44: Mirages and Explosions

You petted Knight's mane, hoping that the world out there didn't scare him too much. He was such a calm and loyal pet, you wondered how he would react to the sight of a titan. The gates would open soon, you saw Levi riding Cali close to where Eren and Mikasa were. You went over the formation in your mind, recalling your position. Hange didn't seem to be worried, she looked excited, like she couldn't wait for the gates to open. Your father was another story, his smile was clearly forced, his eyes filled with stress and worry, while he fought to keep any complaints he might have from escaping. "Be careful out there, princess."

You smiled in reassurance, "don't worry, I'll be fine." He nodded, trying to convince himself of it. "By the way, about the letter you gave me a while back." Your father tensed, you attributed it to the stress of your first mission outside the walls. "I kind of forgot it in my pocket and it went through the wash. I later tried to figure out what it said, but the ink was all blurry and I couldn't read a word."

Your father let out a breath as if something suddenly made sense. "It's alright, princess," he tried to look reassuring. "Maybe it's best this way, it was wrong of me to write that letter, cowardly. We should talk in person when you return. Whatever happens, remember to live without regrets, regrets will only enslave you."

"Ok," you nodded, wondering just what kind of business practices the letter had described.

The announcement was made that the gates were about to open and your father stepped aside to allow the scouts to pass. The giant doors parted, offering the first glimpse of the territory that once belonged to humanity before Maria's fall. The scouts began to gallop out, moving into formation as they did and the gate closed behind you.

Initially, the scenery wasn't too different from that which you left behind. The houses were a little ruined and clearly lacking maintenance, but they still stood, relatively undamaged. You heard the echo of barking up ahead, Fluffy was in the saddle bags of Erwin's horse, providing an additional warning in terms of what path should not be taken. 

The formation had not yet spread to its full size, so you could still see most of the scouts. No flares were needed to direct the troops yet, since everyone was in sight of several others and could easily follow the pack. Hange shifted direction and you followed, turning down another street. 

A titan, that had been apparently sitting, stood and towered over a building up ahead, though it didn't seem to notice the scouts rushing by behind the structure. It was only a matter of time before the sounds of the horses' hasty gallop was heard and the creature squeezed between the two tall houses in front of it to reach the street where the last of the formation was passing by. Fortunately, by then it was too late, as those assigned to support the scouts as they went further away from the wall got rid of the titan swiftly.

Erwin switched directions again to get back into position as you left the urban area. The expanse ahead had few buildings and they were in worse condition than the others, nothing but ruins. It felt as if you were truly outside now, though at least the visibility was better, albeit there were still a few places behind which titans could hide. Erwin should be aware of them though, even if Fluffy's barking was too far for it to carry all the way to your position in the formation.

Hange looked back, your eyes met hers, as if waiting for instruction, "(Name) fall back a little and keep an eye on your right."

"Ok!" You guided Knight to pace himself. You had been so focused on not breaking formation that you kind of did. Hange was in front of you, so you were concentrating on following her, but the space between you and the scout behind you had become too great, you were supposed to be in the middle. You allowed Knight to fall back in pacing until Hange became a dot in the distance and you could see a another dot behind you that you reasoned was Connie. 

The formation didn't look this wide on paper and after the briefing you had imagined that you'd be riding closer to the other scouts, not as close as in the simulacrum since that had limited space, but closer than this. With this much space between the scouts it was no wonder the flares were used, it wasn't a convenience to make the communication faster, it was a necessity for the communication to happen at all. You looked to your right, towards the edge of the formation. You didn't see any titans out there yet.

You heard the echo of a flare being shot and looked ahead, but didn't see any smoke. For you to hear it, it must have been relatively close, but if Hange didn't fire it then who did? You looked back and saw red smoke, Connie had fired it. You hurried to relay the message with another red flare. 

You had expected titans to come mainly from the front, but that one was right behind the formation. Fluffy probably couldn't detect it from further ahead and Erwin must be unaware of it. It was ok though, you assured yourself as you looked up at the red smoke of Hange's flare echoing yours. You could probably outrun the titan, this wasn't an emergency situation yet, being aware of the titan was only a precaution.

You rode for a while until you reached a forest. Some scouts positioned themselves to defend the area while other went into the forest to collect the needed flora. You hurried around on foot, trusting your companions to watch your back from the trees, stuffing everything that looked medicinal into your bag. Another group of scouts would be off in an area that used to be a farm, looking for different types of seeds.

You heard something that sounded like sniffling and wondered if someone had cracked under pressure. The whole titan situation was still kind of sinking in for you, since you had only seen them from a distance thus far. You put the backpack on and followed the sounds, hoping to reassure whoever was crying. To your surprise, you found a young man, his green eyes reminded you of Eren, but his hair was blond. He looked at you in a mix of fright and curiosity.

You noted with embarrassment that he wasn't wearing anything, though you soon realized that he had the same anatomy as a titan and your embarrassment turned to shock. "What... What are you?"

The young man smiled, and reached out to you, but before his hand could come into contact with your person, it began to dissolve into titan dust. He looked at it in distress and screamed, then ran to you, but turned to dust entirely just as he reached you. you yelled in shock and brushed the dust off, only to find that it had continued to become so thin that it was imperceptible. You thought you heard a flare being shot, but didn't see its color.

"(Name), are you alright? Did a bug crawl on you?" Hange was nearby with both your and her horse, curiously watching your odd little dance of dusting off yourself. "Titans are surrounding the forest, we need to move on," she reminded with concern. "Did you see the flare?" She placed her hand on your shoulder and smiled. "It's ok, we'll be fine."

She must have assumed it was just nerves getting to you, but that wasn't entirely the case. You shook your head, still shocked by the odd experience. "I saw a young man, he was like a titan, but the same size as a human. He was here, then he turned to dust." You looked in every direction nervously, but couldn't see anything like him.

"A human size titan?" Hange looked unsure if she should be excited or worried. This was Hange, why wasn't she bursting with joy at the discovery? Then you realized the cause of her doubt, she didn't entirely believe you. "Are you sure?"

You paused to think about it. The whole thing happened so quickly and it's not like you injured the boy in any way, why would he simply disintegrate like that? "To be honest, no," you finally replied.

"Better not dwell on it then," Hange decided. "Can you go back to the formation?"

"Yeah," you replied, trying to convince yourself of it. Was the boy really an illusion? 

"Ok then, let's go, or we'll fall behind," Hange got back on her horse and you got on Knight, following her out of the forest and getting back in formation as soon as there was enough space to do so beyond the thick vegetation.

The formation continued moving forward. There was a more expansive area that used to be a farm up ahead. Once the scouts were done there, they could return home. There haven't been any casualties yet, so things were looking good overall. 

You had galloped a good distance from the forest, changing directions at Erwin's command twice after that, even before red flares were seen. It looked like Fluffy was doing her job properly, no wonder she was able to guide Levi back before if she was this good at it. Why was she so good at it anyway? You shook the enigma out of your head and focused on the right, you were supposed to be watching for titans after all.

Your mind occasionally went back to the strange occurrence with the young man that might have been a hallucination, but you tried not to think about it. Loud footsteps echoed, followed by a louder animalistic growl of agony. The field to your right was relatively clear with few trees and vegetation. Across the vast expanse of grass, you saw a large titan rapidly running towards the formation screaming and flailing. That had to be an abnormal. 

You shot a black flare in warning, but the creature was still coming and there was no time to wait for the order to change directions. You commanded Knight to speed up as much as possible. The titan had gotten close enough to be seen from Hange's position and she slowed down to allow you to catch up. "That one will tear the formation apart, there's no time to get away, we need to stop it," Hange decided.

Connie had caught up with the two of you by then. "Can we really take it?"

"We have to," Hange smiled at the thrill of the battle. "Alright, let's go, just like we planned. Connie and I will distract it, (Name), you need to sneak up behind it and take it down. Don't forget to make your arms strong when you slash to make sure the cut is deep enough," Hange reminded and you realized that she knew all about your special ability, though Connie didn't react, perhaps he didn't know. At this point it was both useless and unnecessary to keep it a secret, so it was for the best that Hange knew, as she was currently your captain. You assumed that Levi had told her at some point, since he knew you'd be in her squad for this mission.

You left the distraction to Hange and Connie while you went behind the titan, jumping off Knight and switching to ODM. The hook caught the titan's back, but it was moving around so much it was difficult to stay steady. you were slammed against its back when the hook retracted and fought to regain your bearings and make the final cut. You slashed across the back of the titan's neck to no effect. You made your arms stronger and tried again and again until you realize you were half way to decapitation and it still wasn't working. "It doesn't work!" You continued trying, slashing away as quickly and strongly as you could until the head came off.

"Lower!" Hange called out, narrowly dodging being hit by the falling head.

You cut lower down the neck and back. The creature was running away from the other scouts. Hange and Connie managed to hook onto its back just above the waist and began stabbing at the spine. Suddenly a big explosion echoed. The scouts from the middle of the formation had reached your previous position and were near the head. You thought it was cannon fire a first, but that didn't make any sense. You hadn't seen any cannons and it would be hard to hit the titan's weak spot from the ground. Besides, you were near the supposed weak spot and whatever they were shooting at wasn't there.

You looked towards where the head had landed in horror, there was a crater on the ground about as large as the head had been. The head itself was nowhere to be seen and there were bloody injured scouts, and parts of scouts everywhere. You felt sick , yet you couldn't stop looking at the terrible scene. Hange stabbed her swords into the middle of the titan's back and with a spray of blood, the beast finally fell. The monster's skin began to glow red rather than disintegrate. 

"It's gonna blow!" Hange shouted. You didn't waste any more time and neither did Hange or Connie as they rushed away from the titan's body to take cover behind some nearby trees. Hange hooked her ODM to the trees and pulled herself forward much faster than her legs could carry her. "Follow me!" 

You and Connie followed her example and reeled yourselves in towards the trees. You didn't stop at the trees, you continued running to put some extra distance between yourselves and the expected explosion. Spotting another three, Hange aimed for it and dashed forward, expecting you and Connie to follow, though you weren't sure you could hit a target that was so far. "Go (Name!)"

You shot your ODM gear, having no time to argue with Connie about who should go first. You missed the shot and shouted with frustration, "you go!"

Connie took aim and managed to hook onto the tree, where Hange was calling for you both to hurry. Connie tried to grab your hand to pull you along with his ODM, but you slipped out of his grasp and watched as he was pulled away, occasionally hitting the ground as he went. He would be bruised, but otherwise alright. Everything happened in seconds and you were thrown to the ground by the magnitude of the explosion behind you, titan dust, dirt and mud flying everywhere. 

You picked yourself off the ground as Hange rushed towards you. Connie tried to limp over at a much slower pace, but finally gave up and sat on the ground next to an abandoned dry well. Hange arrived at your side and looked you over for injuries. "Are you hurt? Are you in pain? Describe it to me!"

"I'm ok... Just a bit tired," you should be covered in cuts and bruises, if the state of your uniform was any indication, but you were healing, which also meant using up your energy.

Connie's sudden shout caused you and Hange to look in his direction. Two young men identical to the one you had seen earlier emerged from their hiding place in the well and dashed towards you. They both had green eyes, blond hair and they weren't dressed, though their anatomy was the same as titans. One of them, the slower of the two, disintegrated with a creepily human-like scream of agony before he could reach you and the other one hugged you.

Hange's jaw dropped, "they're like tiny titans! (Name) why didn't you tell me it was for real?" She squealed in delight.

"I wasn't sure," you voiced in shock, as you tried to reclaim your personal space without startling the creature. What in the world was going on? You heard approaching horses. If there were any signal flares fired during the fight, you were too focused on it and didn't notice. You saw Levi riding on Cali, Knight was running beside him and there were several other scouts not far behind. Your stallion seemed to be alright, though his white coat had partly turned a muddy ground from all the dirt and mud that was thrown into the air from the explosion.

"You're not going to believe what we found!" Hange cheered loudly in place of a greeting for the other scouts.

Levi gave her a deadly glare as he got off Cali and approached. "Why is (Name) so filthy?" His glare intensified as his tone became dangerously threatening, "and why is there some naked guy hugging her?"

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have reached the final saga of this story. From here on out it's time to tie the loose ends and wrap things up. I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far. Keep reading for the grand finale. Also, be warned, some parts are gory, but not too much. I might mention guts, but I won't describe them in detail.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	45. Chapter 45: Tragic Enigma

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 45: Tragic Enigma

"He's not some naked guy, he's a little titan!" Hange corrected with fascination, though that didn't seem to lessen Levi's glare towards the creature clinging to you. "Don't get jealous," she had the courage, or foolishness, to pat Levi on the back as she explained. "It's completely innocent, just look, see? He's hugging her like a child clinging to his mother, it's clearly not romantic in the least. I think it's sweet."

"Then why don't you get it to hug you?" Levi more so ordered than suggested.

"Great idea!" Hange rushed over and started cooing at the creature. "Come here baby, gimme a hug, it's ok, I won't hurt you!" She extended her arms invitingly, but the creature only hid behind you in fright. Hange approached, moving to his side, causing the being to move to the opposite side, using you as a shield against Hange. The motions continued until they were running in circles around you.

"Enough!" Levi interrupted, fed up with the antics. "We need to tend to the injured and regroup, and someone needs to explain why there was an explosion here too," he demanded. "Tie that thing up and take it back to the base if you want to study it. We don't have time to play with it now." The creature yelped in fear, Levi's harsh demeanor scared him more than Hange's fangirl approach. The being doubled over in pain and began to disintegrate without warning before Hang could tie him up. The titan dust became thinner until it was gone, the small particles carried away by the wind. That was the last drop of Levi's patient, "what the hell is going on?"

"We don't exactly know," you shuddered at the feeling of someone being there then not being there. Hange started crying hysterically, mourning the loss of the creature, while you continued to explain as calmly as possible. "We've seen three of those creatures and they all met the same fate. As for the explosion, the titan's head exploded after decapitation, then the whole body exploded after the weak spot was cut. Except it wasn't were it should be, it was lower in the middle of the back, but still in the path of the spine."

"I think it's a mutation!" Hange piped up excitedly, her tears suddenly gone. 

"That mutation did a lot of damage," Levi stated, not that it was news, though you were still in shock and not yet able to think about it too hard. The part that was news was when he added in a serious tone, "and it wasn't the only one."

"Did anyone...?" You couldn't finish the question. Everything was going so well and then this had to happen.

"Yes... We're regrouping now, Erwin should be here soon with the others," Levi announced. So it was a whole new plan now. If there were exploding titans out there it had to be investigated. Even if there were casualties and this was not the mission that was expected, the scouts couldn't go back to the city now. What if one of those titans got too close to the wall, they killed it and it blew up a part of the wall? It was imperative to get a better idea of what was happening so that something could be done about it.

You opened your mouth to inquire further about who had died or been injured, but you decided against it and held your silence. Even if it wasn't someone you were close to, it would be someone with people who missed them, so the information wouldn't be a relief to everyone. Even so, you couldn't help it but to look in every direction trying to spot your closest friends. 

You saw Jean helping Connie get his ankle bandaged, he would be out of commission for a while, though his leg wasn't broken, so it wasn't too much of a serious injury. Sasha was nearby talking to Krista, Armin and a few other people, she had a huge backpack on that made you wonder how she didn't fall over. She must have really been into the whole seed collecting thing and probably picked up a few fruits and vegetables along the way.

Eren was half listening to Sasha talk, then broke away from the group and sat on the opposite side of the well where Connie and Jean were, he must have witnessed something that disturbed him. Mikasa kept patting his shoulder, speaking soft words that you couldn't hear. She offered him a drink of water from a canteen, he drank then nodded at her and smiled, seemingly calmer after hearing her out. Just what had they witnessed? 

The formation was set up for minimal casualties, Eren wasn't in any particular danger, aside from the same danger everyone else was in, but he wasn't the target this time as he had been during the female titan incident, so there was no need to hide a competent fighter away in the middle of the formation. Eren should have been right behind Levi on the left of the formation, with Mikasa behind him and Armin further back.

"What happened out there?" You finally asked Levi, keeping your voice level and quiet so as to not make a scene. You caught a glimpse of Erwin followed by several others. Hange went to talk to him, offering information about what had happened on the right side of the formation.

"A titan came up from the rear, we dodged all the ones coming from the front, but the rear and sides were exposed. Normally, we should be able to outrun those, but this was a very fast moving abnormal, it barreled through the center of the formation from the back. Your dog gave the alert, but because there were no flares from the scouts in the back, Erwin initially thought she was signaling a threat from the front. The titan broke towards the left suddenly and dashed out in front of Eren, no one was expecting a titan to come from the center of the formation." Levi discreetly looked, stepping closer and keeping the tone of his voice low, even if the scouts had in part witnessed these events, there was no need to rub it in their faces so to speak. 

" It's feet were covered in human blood," Levi whispered in explanation, your eyes widening in horror at the thought of all the people the monster trampled. "It dashed out of the formation on the left and Eren shot his ODM gear at its back. The titan carried him away, Eren decapitated it and it tripped over its own head, which then blew off its legs. Eren got hurt, but not enough to stop him from fighting on, he's healed by now. He kept stabbing the titan until he found the weak spot on the spine in the middle of the back and Mikasa pulled him out of the mess before he got himself blown up. I was further ahead when this happened and didn't get any flare signals. I went back when I realized Eren wasn't following me just in time to see Mikasa toss him over her shoulder, jump on her horse and rush away." In any other less grim situation, seeing Mikasa ride off with Eren like that would have been hilarious.

"Fortunately, they were able to get far enough from the explosion that they didn't get hurt." Levi concluded his explanation by narrating a reaction that didn't really surprise you all that much. "I caught up to them, kicked Eren in the face and gave him a good scolding, then I came here." 

"Poor Eren..." What was he supposed to do after realizing a titan had stepped on a bunch of people so quickly that no one even had time to give a signal? Seeing one of those monsters running away on feet that were covered in human blood would be pretty angering. 

Levi would probably say that Eren needed to be more disciplined and not act so rashly and that it was better for him to get kicked in the face than to get killed. But Erwin finished talking to Hange and called everyone to attention, so he didn't have time to reply. The conversations going on all around quieted at once and you were left with an incomplete explanation from Levi as everyone gathered around to hear what was to become of the mission.

"Everyone, listen," Erwin called out in a loud commanding voice. "A new type of abnormal titan has been discovered. Any body part severed from this type of titan will explode. Their weak spot may not be the nape. If we encounter a titan and fighting becomes necessary, aim for the nape first, but be prepared in case it doesn't work. If it is ineffective, aim for the middle of the back over the spine. If you see a slight protuberance over the spine, cut there." Thinking back on it, there was a bump on the titan's back, but you were so shocked by the fact that the nape weakness didn't work that you didn't think to attack it, you barely noticed it at the time. 

"When the titan is about to explode, its skin will glow red," Erwin explained. " This information is based off only a few opportunities to make observations, so even if the normal weak spot works and there is no indication of anything abnormal, everyone is to retreat away from the dead titan immediately in case it explodes. It is imperative that we learn more about this new class of titans before they get close enough to endanger the walls, but we must also warn the city of the danger. We will divide into two teams, one team will take the injured and the supplies we gathered thus far back to the city along with the warning of what has happened here. The other team will conduct a study on this new threat and try to gain as much information as possible about it."

After the explanation, Erwin proceeded to divide people into teams and explain further details about the new plan, while hastily writing a prompt communication addressed to Dot Pixis. Eren was not happy to be sent back to the city and the look on his face made it clear he was about to protest. Before he got himself into trouble and lost all the progress he had made in being given more freedom, he noticed the look Levi was giving him and swallowed down his words. 

"You have to defend the city," you reminded in a whisper. Eren seemed to calm down, noting the logic in that. He clearly still wanted to go titan hunting, but he understood what needed to be done.

Mikasa wasn't happy to be in the investigation team, since Eren was being sent back to the city, but she was very skilled and had a better chance of returning alive after the investigation than most, so her assignment was no real surprise. Normally, Eren going back would mean that Levi would have to go back as well, since he was officially keeping an eye on him, but Eren wasn't expected to transform, let alone within the walls. If any titans approached, Eren was to assist the Garrison in stopping their advance outside the walls, before they got close enough to damage the walls if they exploded. Thus Levi remained outside of the walls.

Though normally the communication between the Survey Corps and Garrison wasn't officially frequent, if the situation required it, Erwin and Dot Pixis would reach an unofficial agreement and come up with a way to work together for the good of human kind. After Eren returned to the city, he would temporarily be under the command of Pixis, working alongside the Garrison to ensure that no titan even got close to the walls. The Garrison would, in light of the emergency, extend their reach beyond wall Rose, while the Survey Corps tried to figure out what was going on, to come up with a better solution to stop the new problem at the root, whatever that could possibly mean. 

If the situation got worse near the city, the Survey Corps would have to return to help defend the wall, though in the long run a purely defensive strategy could only hold for so long. It was vital to understand what was happened and figure out a better way to combat it. It was unnerving that two exploding titans had been found so close to each other. The colossal and the armored were believed to be exceptions, but it was too soon to assume that the exploding titans were exceptions, and that was also part of what the scouts had to figure out. 

The team that was to return to the city was sent on its way, consisting of a few escorts to ensure their safe return to the city, a lot of injured scouts and a considerable number of dead bodies. Those were not all the casualties though, as some were left in so many pieces that it was determined it was best to just report them as missing. 

You realized then that the scouts from the middle of the formation that had arrived around the time the head exploded weren't necessarily there to offer help, but to seek it. Most of their neighboring comrades had been trampled and just as they reached the right wing spotters, fleeing too desperately and randomly to spare a moment to signal or notice signals, there was the explosion.

When Erwin finished slitting the teams it was unnerving just how few people there were left. The whole middle of the formation, save for the very front, was wiped out. It was terribly ironic because the part of the formation that was supposed to be the safest, in the center and towards the back, was the part that was annihilated first. 

You were with the investigation team, as expected. Erwin gathered those who were left, while the other team retreated in the distance. "There is something else that we need to investigate aside from the exploding titans. There are some strange human sized titan-like creatures out there." You were wondering if that would be mentioned and what connection they had to the appearance of the exploding titans if any. "These beings have not shown to be particularly hostile, but we should still be careful around them just in case. If we find one of those creatures, our goal will be to capture it alive. (Name)" 

You jumped to attention when Erwin addressed you, "sir!" 

"I'm assigning you the task of capturing the human size titans if we encounter them again. If there's anything else going on at the time, make that your priority and leave the rest to us," Erwin decided.

"Yes, sir!" You saluted, you should have seen that coming, since the little titans had taken an inexplicable liking to you. Hange was right though, it was not attraction per se, it truly was similar to a frightened child clinging to his mother.

"Hange, go over the strategy, (Name) come here a minute," Erwin took you a few feet away from the group, leaving Hange to entertain them with a few additional details pertaining to her observations. Once you were far enough not to be heard if you kept your voices low, he went straight to the point. "Do you know anything about this?" 

You noted that his tone wasn't really suspicious, he didn't seem to think you were hiding something, but wanted to ask just in case. "Nothing really, except what we've seen. I suspect that this may be connected to my uncle somehow, but that's just guessing in the dark, I have nothing to support that theory."

"And nothing to deny it?" Erwin inquired and you nodded in response. "Then we can't assume that he's involved and we can't assume that he's not. We can't assume anything really, today's mission has proven that beyond a doubt." He had a point, every expectation had been turned upside-down and twisted around.

You rejoined the group and everyone went on their horses. Many of the animals had been lost, but all those who stayed had a ride, since the scouts that went back to the city mostly rode in the wagons, save for the ones that were tasked with escorting the retreating group. Knight and Cali were alright, and Fluffy seemed to be doing ok despite everything that was happening. She was still sitting in the saddle bag of Erwin's horse, quiet and alert to any suspicious scents in the air. This was clearly not instinct alone, she was trained, and the fact that she was so youthful and healthy was also suspicious. You had Fluffy for years, a dog should begin to show its age by now.

The group changed tactics and instead of advancing, you investigated the area in the forest. That was where you first encountered a miniature titan and it was close enough to the well to assume that the creatures might have come from that direction. Besides, the forest provided a good cover, so if they or anything else, wanted a place to hide, that would be a good option. It wasn't guaranteed that the human sized titans were related to the large exploding titans, but it would be a very big coincidence if they just so happen to appear around the same time and in such proximity. Capturing one of those creatures and attempting to establish communication was the best strategy at the moment to get to the bottom of the ever growing enigma.

Speed was of the essence, especially since the creatures disintegrated and there was no telling just how many of them were left and for how long they would remain solid enough to provide clues. However, staying alive was also vital, so the already small group was again divided. A few would take to the trees to serve as guards, while the others traveled by land with the horses to search for the strange mini titan creatures. 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're right in the middle of the action now, the final mystery and all the answers are coming! I hope everyone is enjoying the last story arc. My Levi x Reader short story, "Dreams" (which I originally planned as a one shot) will have 5 parts. I already posted part 4 and I'm working on part 5. I've been asked about the lemons, or rather lack of lemons in my story. I'm not really confident with writing romance, as I'm more of an adventure and comedy writer. However, I do acknowledge that there are opportunities for such scenes to fit into this story, so if anyone wants to write them as a guest bonus chapter, you are welcomed to do so. I can give you some scenarios from Hange's fanfiction to get started. The same goes for my other stories as well. If you want to write a guest sequel, prequel or midquel, lemon or non-lemon, give it a try. Post in the comments if you have any questions about the setting or anything.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	46. Chapter 46: Flowers for the Dead

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 46: Flowers for the Dead

You spent what felt like an hour in the forest, searching for mini titans, going deeper into the forest than you had earlier. A few three to five meter titans came by to disrupt the mission, but they were normal, human eater, non-explosive titans, that were swiftly dispatched by the scouts on guard duty. 

"What's that?" Levi noticed something and got off Cali to check. You looked over as he searched the nearby bushes, having spotted a color that didn't seem to belong among the green vegetation. He pulled out a slightly mistreated but still in good condition bouquet of roses with a sky-blue ribbon tying the dozen roses together. Peculiarly, the thorns had all been removed and the roses looked fresh, as if they were picked relatively recently. "Someone was here," he concluded, and it wasn't a scout, since there was no reason for anyone to carry a bouquet of roses to a mission, plus there weren't many medicinal plants in that area of the forest, so none of the scouts should have gone that far before. 

"Aw," Hange popped up behind Levi, going into all out shipping mode. "Did you get those flowers for (Name)? How sweet! "

"That's right, four eyes, I came all the way out here early in the morning, across the mutant titan infested field and hid these flowers in this bush. Then I went back to the city, just in time to go out of the gates along with everyone else and cleverly led the expedition to this very spot, so I could find the flowers and present them to (Name)." You laughed at Levi's smart mouth while Hange looked like she was considering making the feat the plot of her next fanfiction.

After the moment of distraction, Erwin took a moment to examine the bouquet, but found nothing out of the ordinary about it, except its location. "Hange, you're sure none of the scouts came out this far?"

"I'm pretty sure," Hange replied. "They would have passed (Name) or me on the way here and it would have taken them a while to rejoin the formation when we left the forest. I mean, it's not 100%, but it would be difficult to slip by and come all the way here, just to leave these flowers behind."

Why someone would take flowers to a battlefield made no sense what so ever, but it was at least a vague clue. "If these flowers were purchased in town, then that could give us a clue about who was here and we'll know where to direct our questions," Erwin theorized.

You kept looking at the flowers with curiosity. There was just something about them that seemed familiar. "So, are you going to give them to (Name)?" Hange inquired once again. "I know they're evidence and all, but she's looking at them."

"I was thinking they remind me of something." You clarified, so that no one would get the silly idea in their head that you were actually being distracted by flowers in the middle of the mission, though you still appreciated Hange's attempt to lighten the tension brought by the uncertainty.

"Of what?" Erwin asked with interest, as if looking for clues.

You shrugged, making it clear that you didn't think it was a particularly important detail. "We used to have roses like this at Sina. My father would always give me a bouquet on my mother's birthday in remembrance of her because they were her favorite. He'd remove all the thorns too."

"Flower shops might not always do that," Erwin mused unsure, glancing at another of the scouts for confirmation. "What do you think?"

"They don't," the man replied with certainty. "Trust me, I know," he showed his hands with small cuts on them, as if indicating he had to do a similar task recently. You tried to recall the man's name. His light brown hair and amber eyes didn't particularly stand out in your mind, but after a while you were able to put a name to his face. Raphel, you had heard about him before when the scouts were abuzz with the news of his engagement. His bride to be had gone to see him off at the gate and he had given her roses before leaving on the mission. You caught a brief glimpse of her, but your mind was occupied in other things and you couldn't conjure a clear picture in your memories as to what she looked like.

Tarok shook his head at his friend's clumsiness from his perch up in a tree, the tension in his eyes not easing at the lighter moment. You didn't know him too well either. You just knew that he had been in the Survey Corps for quite some time and he had a wife and two young kids at Rose. They lived very close to the gates and had been there to see him off as well, boldly declaring that they would one day be going along outside with the scouts. Though Tarok's wife was surprisingly supportive of their declarations, Tarok himself usually gently suggested that they might want to pursue a different career path. You got the impression that he assured his family so much so they wouldn't worry about him, that he assured them a little too much and the kids thought that being a scout was a lot easier than it actually was.

That was all there was, just the seven of you. Erwin, Levi, Hange, Mikasa, Raphel, Tarok and you, the others were either dead or at Rose. You could almost hear the wheels in Erwin's head turning. Did he suspect your uncle, did he see the flowers as a connection to your family? Yet the question still remained, why in the world would anyone carry a bouquet of roses into a battle field? The team was still looking around and quietly deliberating when Fluffy started howling and squirming to get out of the saddlebag on Erwin's horse. 

Everyone took it as a sign of danger and looked all around to determine where the titan was before figuring out where to head. Strangely, there was no sign of any titan anywhere. "I'll take a look higher up," Mikasa offered.

"Alright," Erwin agreed, while he went to get Fluffy out of the saddlebag, keeping a firm grasp on her leash. 

Mikasa returned from the tree top, "if there's a titan out there, it's not too big, because I didn't see anything above the trees," she informed.

You curiously looked at Fluffy, she was set on pulling Erwin in a specific direction, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the others. When there was danger, Fluffy barked and ran away, or in this case, when she was carried away from the danger, she calmed down, sensing that she was heading to safety. She never really tried to indicate which direction to travel in, she just wanted to be away from the danger. Plus this was a different signal, why was she howling like that and pulling the leash so adamantly? "Be on the lookout everyone," Erwin reminded. "Let's investigate what our little friend found."

The group began to head deeper into the forest. Through thick vegetation, Mikasa spotted a titan and alerted everyone. "It's just sitting there," she observed. 

"(Name) keep her quiet," Erwin gave you Fluffy's leash, which you held tightly, wrapped around your wrist. 

You did your best to calm your pet. "Shh, it's ok Fluffy, shh, be quiet now, we know the titan's there, it's alright." You spoke softly and petted her. She seemed to get the message and calm down. The strange thing was that she was leading you towards a titan and not away from one this time.

"We'll approach carefully, I think there might be something different about this one," Erwin theorized, though he couldn't guess exactly what was different.

Hange was bursting with excitement, as expected of her. "Can I go first?" She jogged in place, hardly able to contain herself.

"Slowly, don't startle it," Erwin cautioned. Hange nodded and slowly approached the titan. 

As soon as the creature saw Hange, it stood. Now that the titan was standing up, you could distinguish a female-like appearance. It's skin looked very pink, with a few patches missing in seemingly random patterns, showing red muscle tissue. Her lower right jaw had all the skin missing from it, leaving her teeth visible and her left eye seemed larger than her right. Her legs seemed larger than they should be in comparison to her thin arms, and her fingers were disproportionately long. The titan was not a pretty sight except for one detail, her translucent strands of hair that reflected the light and displayed a show of colors like a prism. Her hair was magnificently beautiful, making the rest of the creature's grotesque appearance more obvious.

"Hi there," Hange smiled, "I'm Hange, can we be friends?" The female titan dashed away. "Wait! come back!"

Fluffy started pulling on her leash again and howling, insisting that the titan should be chased after. "I really think there's something strange about that one," you reinforced the theory. 

Levi nodded in agreement, "even for an abnormal, running away from humans like that is strange, and four eyes wasn't even as creepy as she usually is this time."

"Hey!" Hange pouted in frustration. She expected the titan to try to grab her or bite her because that's what titans normally did, even when she tried to be friendly to them, but this reaction caught her off guard.

"After her!" Erwin galloped forward in pursuit, with the whole team taking to their horses and following him. "We can't let her escape, she may hold too many answers!" The slow advance was forfeited in favor of a chase. Even if the move was risky, you simply couldn't afford to lose the suspicious titan, yet the thick vegetation didn't make the chase any easier.

The group slowed down in a clearing in the forest. Fluffy had stopped her howling, the scent of the long haired titan woman too far for her to react to it. Erwin frowned in frustration, realizing that he had no idea where she went. She was small enough not to be seen above the tree tops and very agile. Even the way she ran was unusual, as if each step was more like a jump of which she landed on the tip of her toes. She deliberately avoided stepping on any bushes and left no significant clues to her direction on the grass. She could have turned in any direction and it would be practically impossible to tell. This titan was definitely smart if she knew how to run away without leaving a trail of broken branches and flattened bushes. It was also further a testament to her agility and precision if she could actually put such a strategy into action with such speed.

"We lost her," Erwin acknowledged in frustration. "It's risky, but we'll have to fan out and find her. She's too suspicious to let her get away, she may be human and if we can get her out of her titan form, we might have all the answers we need."

"Over there!" Tarok suddenly called with urgency, pointing behind a nearby tree. Everyone looked, expecting to see a sign of the female titan, but instead there was another of the human size titans there. 

"I'll go," you got off Knight, leaving Fluffy inside the saddle bag and approached the young man. He looked identical to the others, blond hair, green eyes, titan anatomy, scared expression. His eyes were fixed on you as you approached. "It's ok, I won't hurt you." When you got closer, he dashed to you and hugged you, as if seeking protection. "Shh, it's alright, no one will hurt you." You petted the creature's head reassuringly. He began to pull on the sleeve of your Survey Corps jacket, glancing in a certain direction as if wanting you to follow. Fluffy was quiet, the female titan was nowhere to be seen and this strange creature apparently had something to show you.

The being's attempts to make you follow were not lost to your companions. "Let's go with him," Erwin encouraged you to play along with the creature's wishes for now.

You let the little titan lead you away, a putrid smell suddenly invading your nose. Fluffy was still quiet, though she surely noticed the scent, this wasn't what she alerted to though. She was watching out for titans and this was the scent of dead humans. You didn't recall anyone dying in the forest, plus the smell was too pungent to be that of a recent death. The body, or bodies, had been lost in the forest for a while, but how was that even possible if this was the first Survey Corps mission in some time? Did they die in the last one so long ago? You didn't recall anyone mentioning the forest then, so it couldn't be.

You wrinkled your nose in disgust as you and your companions pressed on deeper into the heart of the forest. You spotted something white and red on the ground that seemed out of place with the rest of the scenery. Levi walked ahead to investigate what the thing was, with Hange joining in observing the item. She curiously picked it up, aware that Levi wouldn't be too fond of touching the blood stained thing, even if the blood was dried up by now. "It's a hat," Hange announced with perplexity.

The little titan kept pulling you further ahead, while Levi took a moment to look over the bushes near the hat in the opposite direction, his hand covering his nose and mouth at this point. Levi called Erwin over in a tone that you knew he was forcing to be soft and calm. Whatever he saw was not a pleasant sight. He might have discovered the body of the unfortunate owner of the hat, a white chef's hat...just like the one Artie would often wear.

The little titan was pulling you further ahead, the body was not what he was trying to show you, but with a cold chills running up and down your spine, you were drawn to the place where Erwin had gone to examine the findings. You took the small titans' hand and gave him a forced reassuring smile, you couldn't lose him, but you couldn't ignore this. You walked with him until you saw the body, he must have died at some point after the scouts' last mission and before this one. The body was starting to decompose but you could still recognize him. 

"Artie?" You felt tears running down your face as your hand went limp. The small titan let out an earsplitting wail and cling to you, hiding his face from the sight of the dead body, in terror. Erwin said something, but you didn't quite catch it. Levi came over to lead you away from the scene, the small titan moving along with you, his face buried on your shoulder. Hange had gone to look around and came back to say something to Erwin and point in another direction. You didn't have to see it to know it was there, no doubt about it, she must have found Melinda's body.

The small titan fell to his knees, arms wrapped around your waist, he wailed with his face against your stomach. You patted the creature's head absentmindedly, his blond hair passing softly between your fingers, then he looked up at you with those terrified green eyes and something clicked in your mind. In one fatal whisper you were able to identify them, him, they were all the same, "Tony?"

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh the tragedy! D: But with a chapter title like that you had to know this would be sad. Here's a light hearted humor one-shot to cheer you up http://mikaristar.deviantart.com/art/Groceries-Tall-Reader-x-Levi-529548038 Also here's the final part of my rom-com five part story http://mikaristar.deviantart.com/art/Dreams-Part-5-Levi-x-Reader-Complete-529550717
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	47. Chapter 47: The City Calls

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 47: The City Calls

Fluffy started barking, snapping you awake from your many confusing thoughts. Mikasa located the titan, seven meters tall, normal, it hadn't spotted the group yet. The small titan suddenly looked alert, he looked through the foliage at the large titan ahead and began to dash towards it. "No!" You ran after him, "come back here!" The little titan reached the large one and bit into its leg. The large titan growled and grabbed the little one. 

Levi hooked his OMD onto the large titan's shoulder and cut off its arm to free the little one. You pulled the small titan out of the severed arm, holding him so he wouldn't throw himself at the large one again. You caught a glimpse of Melinda's body from the corner of your eyes. It felt wrong, but you forced the little titan to look. He screeched in fright and hit his face on your shoulder, but at least he wasn't running away anymore.

Hange came over with a rope to tie up the little titan. Meanwhile, the large titan had ran away, flailing randomly. Levi's ODM came off its shoulder with the movement, a piece of flesh attached to it. He voiced a few choice words of frustration and disgust as he removed the titan remains from the hook and retreated with the rest of you in case the arm exploded. The arm did not explode. "I'll finish it," Raphel offered, running ahead. 

The titan reached a river and ran into its waters. Raphel hooked onto its back as a strange bump slipped down the titan's spine from the neck to the middle of the back under its skin. Raphel flew closer carried by his ODM, then the titan glowed red and before anyone could react, it exploded much faster than the other explosive titans had. Raphel was too close, he was blown apart, while the rest of you were thrown to the ground by the shock of the explosion, broken branches and flying rocks assaulting the group. 

After the explosion, there was a deadly silence, then the little titan screamed and dissolved into dust that soon became imperceptible. Trembling, you began to get up. Your eyes widened in horror when your realize that there were droplets of blood on your clothes, Raphel's blood. 

The six remaining scouts regrouped and tried to make sense of the situation. Levi was angry, wishing he had finished off the titan faster, you could see it in his face, even if he didn't say it. It didn't make sense that the arm didn't explode but the titan did. Tarok was in shock, Raphel had been his best friend, a sort of adoptive younger brother in the Survey Corps. 

"Everyone, stay calm, we need to figure this out," Erwin tried to get everyone back on the mission.

"The little titan bit the big one," Hange reviewed, "the arm didn't blow up, but the titan did," she paused in thought. "Alright, I'm coming up with a theory here. The little titans turn the big titans into explosive titans, they also change normals into abnormals at the same time. The little titans are the cause of the explosive titans. The arm didn't explode because the big one was just recently bitten and it took a moment for it to take effect."

Hange's theory was interrupted by Fluffy barking again. Mikasa took to the trees to spot the titan. "Two of them, about four and five meters, abnormal!" She paused as if something caught her attention, "three small titans, two on the five meter, one on the four meter!"

The scouts hurried to take care of the threat. Fluffy wouldn't stop barking and Knight started running, Cali following after him. The other horses ran in different directions, but there was no time to chase them, the titans were upon you.

"Capture the small ones before the large ones blow up!" Erwin ordered, the scouts were simply too close to the answers to let them go. 

ODM hooks flew and everyone hurried to pry the little titans off the large ones before making any cuts. At least the large titans didn't have them in their hands. The five meter was doing a strange dance as it tried to get the two little titans off its ankles, while the four meter seemed confused by the pain on the back of its shoulder. You grabbed one of the little titans off the five meter and Hange pried off the other. The little titan recognized you, and having satisfied the irresistible need to spread the mutation, he hugged you, seeking the familiarity and security of a vague recognition. The one Hange had pulled off ran to you as well, and the pair made it difficult for you to further take part in the battle.

Levi pulled the third one off the four meter and carried the squirming human size titan to the ground, looking rather comical since the little titan was taller than him. As soon as Levi put him down, the creature joined his twins in clinging to you. "(Name), get out of here!" Levi urged.

"Going!" You fought to run away, the little titans clinging to you. You make yourself stronger to escape thier grasp, "let's go, follow me!" They didn't question it and dashed after you as you led them away from the area that you knew would be soon filled with explosions. 

"I want to make an experiment!" Hange announced, "Let's take one of them to the river!"

"Take the smaller one," Erwin decided, having some idea of what Hange's experiment might consist of. 

"It's dumber than a rock," Levi was standing on its head and the titan just hopped around. It knew something was wrong, but couldn't figure out what. Levi dangled one of his swords in front of the titan's face and it began to chase after it, allowing Levi to lead it to the river.

"Yahoo! Ride that bad boy!" Hange cheered, chasing after them. At the same time, Mikasa, Erwin and Tarok kept the five meter busy until you had retreated with the three little titans and Levi and Hange ran off with the four meter. 

As soon as the coast was clear, Erwin finished the five meter titan and the scouts retreated away from the explosion. Twigs and pebbles flew everywhere, but everyone was far enough not to get injured aside from minor scratches and bruises. Another explosion sounded off from the river, it was the four meter titan.

Buried under the hugs of the three scared mini titans, you felt something nuzzling your shoulder that wasn't one of them. You looked over to see Knight, Fluffy was still with him and Cali was nearby. "You came back! Good boy!" You wanted to pet him in appreciation, but your arms were currently busy trying to keep the little titans calm, so you just leaned your head against your pet.

"Aw there's so much love for (Name)," Hange and the others arrived at your location. She elbowed Levi tesingly, "looks like you have some competition, cowboy." The three little titans went from clinging to you like scared children to dissolving into dust. The experience sent shivers down your spine and made you wonder where the original Tony was and how these little titans came to be as parts of him. "Alas, they love you and they leave you," Hange threw her arm on her forehead and leaned her head back dramatically. "I guess you better stick with Levi after all." She sighed in disappointment, "I really wanted to experiment on these little ones. I had even started to think of names for them. My sweet children, why do you abandon mama so suddenly?"

You couldn't help it but to giggle at Hange's antics despite everything that was going on. Part of you couldn't help it but to imagine Levi in a cowboy hat, riding on a titan's head, it was a pretty amusing mental picture.

Ignoring Hange's dramatics for the time being, Erwin consulted Levi about the results of the recent experiment. "What happened?"

"The titan exploded as soon as it came into contact with the water," Levi informed. The experiment had been a success, even if the three little titans were lost.

Erwin nodded and considered the next move. "We need to know how things are at the wall." He held out his binoculars, "Mikasa, you're a fast climber." He didn't have to say anything more before she disappeared in a blur of motion, off to the tree tops, binoculars in hand.

Mikasa looked towards the edge of the forest and the wall beyond. A few little titans were exiting the edge of the forest, five of them, they rode on the head and shoulders of a ten meter abnormal and there were several other large titans nearby. The little titans jumped from one large titan to another, biting them and spreading their infection. Some were grabbed and eaten, though if they had the poison in them, then being consumed would probably have the same effect as the bites. Further ahead closer to the wall, several abnormals were running towards it. A few explosions were seen in the distance, the scouts that had gone back and weren't injured were fighting alongside the Garrison, the soldiers appearing as fast moving dots in the distance. 

Then she saw him, in a cloud of titan steam, Eren's titan form appeared. The advancing giants were too many and Pixis determined that the wall would be in grave danger if the explosive monsters were allowed to get any closer, wall Rose was in an all out state of emergency. Mikasa was back on the ground in a flash. "We need to go back, Rose is in danger, there are too many titans, even for Eren."

"He transformed?" Erwin knew that Eren's titan form was for emergencies. If Pixis determined that it was time to send him out to battle, then the situation was more serious than he expected.

"Yes, I saw him. I saw five little titans, some were taken out and there were only three left. The large abnormals, there were more than a dozen of them, five to fifteen meters. I think most if not all of them are explosive," Mikasa explained with urgency.

"The secret of the explosive titans and the human size titans is in this forest, but wall Rose will fall if we don't go back now," Erwin decided. "We're heading back, we have the secret of the exploding titan's weakness. If we can prepare some kind of water cannons we can take them out from afar and minimize casualties and damage to the wall. This information is too vital, even if there are still too many secrets to be discovered in this forest, we must ensure that the discovery is known at Rose. We can't afford to split up and risk being unable to deliver the message, we're all going back for now."

No one had a single word of protest. The group hurried out of the forest, Tarok kept whistling, trying to attract the attention of the runaway horses in hopes that they would return. Aside from Knight and Cali, two other horses returned. There were four horses, six scouts, Erwin, Hange, Mikasa, Levi, Tarok and you. "(Name), I want you to deliver the message," Erwin decided. You were still needed to get to the bottom of the little titan mystery, so he assigned the safest position to you, or safer by comparison at least. "Don't fight the titans, just head for the city as fast as you can and leave the fighting to us. Go with Levi for now. Everyone, we'll ride as close as possible to the titans, then switch to ODM and open a path for (Name), our mission is to get her to the wall. (Name), as soon as you're close enough, climb the wall with ODM and deliver the news of the exploding titans' weakness to water, take the dog with you if you can." 

"Hange, you and I will take the front, I got the left, you go right of (Name)'s path," Erwin continued. "Levi, you're in the center in front of (Name). Mikasa and Tarok make sure (Name) isn't stopped from behind, if you think any potential pursuers are far enough, then you can assist us in opening a path, it'll be your judgment call as needed. We can't trigger any explosions in (Name)'s path. Leave the slaying to Tarok and Mikasa when there's enough distance." He address them with the precaution, "Tarok, Mikasa, if you do slay any titans, make sure you can get away on time and don't set up any chain reactions. (Name), I'll have to borrow your horse." Erwin got on Knight, "Hange."

"Right behind you, literally," Hange hopped on as well behind Erwin, but Knight was a well bred strong stallion who could speedily carry them both. 

"Go in front (Name), since you'll have to ride on your own when we get close to the titans," Levi helped you up onto Cali's saddle and handed you the reins. You took a deep breath and calmed your nerves, mentally preparing yourself for the next part of the mission. You closed your eyes, giving yourself a short moment to focus. You felt Levi's strong arms wrapped around your waist, his chest pressed against your back, and felt reassured.

Erwin gave the signal and the Survey Corps galloped out of the forest at full speed. Erwin and Hange speed up in front, Knight carrying them so fast that it was like his hooves spent more time in the air than touching the ground. Cali followed Knight with you and Levi. Mikasa and Tarok flanked you left and right on the other two horses. After making it out of the forest, you could see just how many explosive titans there were. There were more of them running towards the wall now and it had only been a few minutes since Mikasa estimated their count. 

Eren was fighting hard. You saw him grab a three meter, squeezing its nape until blood gushed out. The dead titan began to glow red and Eren threw it at a fourteen meter nearby, blowing off its head. Pieces of the head flew in every direction, creating smaller explosions. It was clear why the Garrison had to fight away from Eren. There were simply too many explosions going off near him, but that also meant that he was basically fighting solo in that area and was severely outnumbered.

You drew closer to the titans and Erwin and Hange simultaneously switched to ODM, flying left and right, distracting the titans enough for you to dash by. They kept moving forward, opening a path for you. You felt Levi disappear from behind you as he switch to ODM. The rope of his ODM wrapped around a titan in front of your path, choking it. The creature was forced out of the way and you dashed forward, while Mikasa and Tarok made sure you weren't followed. Knight was temporarily disoriented with the loss of his two passengers, but as soon as he saw you dash by on Cali, he ran to catch up to you and ran next to you towards the wall.

You could see Eren to the far right, you couldn't run by him or you'd get caught in the explosions surrounding him. At least it looked like he was making progress, though you were concerned about how bloody his titan looked. 

"Yahoo!" Hange had her ODM wrapped around a titan's jaw in its mouth. "Onward my explosive steed!" It took a very special kind of person to still be able to have fun in a situation like this. Silly fanfiction aside, you couldn't help it but to look up to Hange after this.

You heard explosions from behind, Mikasa and Tarok moved forward, leaving the explosions behind, though there weren't too many, as they were careful not to set up any chain reactions with exploding limbs that were blown off by other explosions. The wall came ever closer, and the closer you got the more Garrison soldiers you started to see. You thought you caught a glimpse of Jean and Sasha too, but the blur of colors around you were moving so fast that you weren't sure. 

Hoping that Knight and Cali would know to stay safe near the wall, as soon as you calculated that your ODM gear could reach the wall, you shot the hook, pulling yourself towards it, while carrying Fluffy. You released the first hook and shot another to the top of the wall, half running and half jumping on the wall as you were pulled up. The Garrison soldiers on top of the wall working the canons thankfully noticed your advance and as you reached the top of the wall, a hand was extended to get you over the edge.

You accepted the help, your breaths heavy with adrenaline, the words were already spilling from your mouth before you even noticed that the one who had helped you up was Dot Pixis, "I bring important news! The weakness of the exploding titans is water!"

"Water!" Commander Pixis exclaimed, his eyes glancing at the clear blue skies for a split second. The chance of rain on that very day was basically non-existent. "You heard her, we need to prepare water cannons now!" Pixis was suddenly rapidly giving order, the Garrison soldiers moving quickly to accomplish what he commanded. 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is humanity finally ready to strike back against the titans? What other secrets hide in the forest? Keep reading to find out about that and more.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	48. Chapter 48: Casualties of War

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 48: Casualties of War

You looked at the battle field you left behind from the top of wall Rose. Knight and Cali were pressed against the wall, they were scared, but they were smart enough to stay close to the wall, you didn't think you could get them over, so unfortunately, they were stuck waiting out the battle until the gates could be opened. The horses Mikasa and Tarok were riding might or might not have gotten blown up or trampled, you didn't see them anywhere. Erwin, Levi, Mikasa and Tarok were as alright as they could be, you trusted in their skill, they were close to the wall, surely they had the sense to go back inside before they ran out of fuel.

"I'm going back out," you announced to no one in particular, since Pixis was busily running about, directing the Garrison. You checked your gas tanks, noting that they were nearly empty and reasoned that Erwin, Levi, Mikasa and Tarok's ODM gear tanks would be in the same conditions. It would be both foolish and useless to go out before refueling, so you went to look for more fuel. 

"C'mon Fluffy," you held on to her leash to make sure she didn't get in the way of the running soldiers. She seemed to understand that she was safe on top of the wall and didn't bark at the titans nearby. You knew she was valuable to the scouts and more so valuable to you as your pet, but you didn't have time to take care of her, so you resolved to lock her in Pixis office on top of the wall. She was well behaved enough not to mess anything up in there and her new collar indicated she belonged to the scouts in case anyone from the Garrison wondered why there was a dog there.

You could hear Fluffy whimper behind the door, wanting to go with you, but you just couldn't take care of her at the moment. You glanced at the battle field. Erwin, Levi, Mikasa, Hange and Tarok were doing alright and they were moving closer to the wall, ready to go on the retreat, mindful of their remaining fuel. You wanted to wait for them, but felt that you shouldn't be standing still when there were so many people running around nearby. 

You went looking for fuel to refill your ODM gear and rejoin the battle, but a Garrison soldier you didn't know called out to you. "Hey scout, give us a hand over here." You wanted to refuel and go back to where Levi and the others were, or at least stay on the wall where you could see them, but it felt wrong to refuse since you didn't exactly have something absolutely imperative to do. 

"What do you need?" You asked, rushing over.

"We need to get these pipes ready to get the water to the top of the wall, help us assemble them and make sure there are no leaks," the Garrison soldier explained.

You nodded, "ok," then went on the task with automatic motions, while your mind was just outside the walls where Levi and the others were.

The pipelines were swiftly completed with team work, and water started being pumped to the top of the wall. With your task completed you were once again free to look for fuel, or look for Levi and the others, since they must be within the walls by now. 

You returned to the top of the wall, searching for them and watched as the water cannons were fired and explosions started going off in the distance. The few remaining scouts that weren't injured and the Garrison were advancing with long hoses aiming the water at the titans, making them blow up away from the walls. More injuries followed when the chain reactions got out of control, but the exploding titans were finally being pushed back. You looked all around the battlefield, but you didn't see Eren anywhere.

You noticed someone climbing over the wall a few feet away and saw Mikasa peeking over, her attention on something next to her out of your view. You rushed over to help her over the wall and caught sight of Levi emerging on top of the wall beside her, his attention in the same area as Mikasa's. Upon getting closer, you realized that Eren was there, he must have been cut out of his titan after the giant sustained too much damage and became unable to fight on. You grabbed onto Eren's arms and helped pull him over the wall, falling into a sitting position with the mostly unconscious, but still living Eren falling on your lap. 

"Thanks," Mikasa nodded at you as you passed Eren to her after she got herself completely over the wall. Though you initially expected her to throw his arm over her shoulder and half drag him while keeping him upright with her other arm around his waist, she opted for the much more practical bridal style of carrying the unconscious Eren, sometimes you forgot how incredibly strong she was. Was it just something about the Ackermans that made them stronger than the average human? That was a mystery for another day.

While Mikasa took Eren to rest, you took a moment to catch up with Levi. "I locked Fluffy in Pixis' office, I don't think he'll mind. Sorry I didn't rejoin the battle after delivering the message, I got caught up helping assemble the pipes and haven't even refueled yet. 

"It's better that way, we need to get ready for the next expedition. (Name), this won't be easy, unless we stop this problem at the root, the battle won't end. We're pushing them back, but we haven't stopped the attack. I need you to go and rest now. Eat, sleep, your energy must be dangerously low by now and you can't get dizzy and faint during our next expedition," Levi insisted seriously, though you could feel the caring concern beneath his stern tone.

You nodded in understanding of the importance of being prepared, you were feeling tired but ignored your exhaustion because there was simply too much to do. "When's the next expedition?" You asked, guessing that it was soon if Levi was so adamant about you having a quick recovery.

"As soon as this wave of titans is suppressed, we're rounding up the scouts and returning to the forest," Levi explained. "Go rest now, consider that an order as a scout."

You nodded and put on an overly serious face as you saluted, "yes sir!" You continued normally, "I presume you'll be resting as well?"

"I'll rest enough," Levi replied, "now go, I need to take care of a few things first. You can rest at the medical center near the wall, I'll go find you later."

You nodded, knowing there was no use in arguing. At least if you were well rested, you'd be able to fight more strongly and that could make the difference out. You couldn't risk not being at your best and dragging your friends down, so you focused on the future and went to the medical center near the wall.

You expected the scene at the emergency clinic to be grim, with lots of injured people. The explosions meant plenty of blown off limbs, guts and gore that you rather not think about. The image of the pieces of Raphel were still fresh in your mind, plus it was something that happened right after you had seen the dead bodies of Artie and Melinda, how did they even get there? You felt that you needed to see your father and dashed out of the medical center and towards the structure that was once a bakery atelier and now it was simply your father's residence.

The place wasn't too far from the wall, it was still a good distance to run and having a horse would have been very convenient, but you managed on foot. You tried to open the door, to knock, to call out, but no one answered. Frightened, you went around the building and broke in through the back door, using your enhanced strength. You dashed through the house with growing worry, but you found nothing out of the ordinary. There were no signs of a fight, but there were also no signs of your father. 

You focused on the fact that there were no signs of a fight. Your father was probably elsewhere. Maybe they moved him somewhere safe in light of the state of emergency near the wall. Feeling stupid, you went out and observed just how empty the streets were. You knocked on the neighbor's door and received no answer, you tried the next house with the same result. You let out a sigh of relief, feeling like an idiot. Of course, everyone that lived too close to the wall was either evacuated, or left of their own accord for safety reasons. At worse, your father was probably in a sea of people rushing to Sina. He'd probably come out of the experience with a few bruises, but surely he would be fine. 

You hoped no one robbed the house, though you tried to make the backdoor look as intact as possible before leaving. You'd have to apologize for your outburst later and explain yourself. The stress of the mission must have been really getting to you if you were knocking down doors for no reason. Levi had told you time and again during training to stay calm and you thought that you were putting it into practice, but clearly you haven't been doing well enough if this happened. You resolved to do better as you rushed back to the medical center.

You arrived at the clinic out of breath and went in. Soldiers were still buzzing about near the wall, That, and the noisy explosions in the distance indicated that the battle was still going on. The medical facility was filled with many injured people, though they were unknown to you at a personal level, you did recognize a few of them from the scouts. The younger recruits from Eren's class had taken to you like a big sister, so you ended up hanging out with them the most. A few names floated in your mind as you saw the injured scouts, several of them were wrapped up like mummies, leaving only their faces visible, yet even then there were faces that were left unrecognizable by the injuries.

You saw Connie sitting on a bed, he couldn't walk without pain, but his injury wasn't too bad and he would recover. Still, he wouldn't be joining any expeditions any time soon. On the bed next to Connie's rested Jean, loudly snoring like a horse. "He dislocated his shoulder, but he's all patched up now and will recover," Connie explained. "There was this nurse with long dark hair that he tried to flirt with, but she just thought that he wanted the attention because he was in pain, so she gave him a sleeping pill to ease his suffering." Connie shook his head ruefully, his hands over his ears, "and he became the cause of my suffering." 

You couldn't help it but to giggle," he really does sound like a horse."

"Yeah," Connie sighed hopelessly and laid back down on his bed. "If you see any pretty nurses that happen to be carrying sleeping pills, send them my way."

You smiled and assured, "will do!"

You continued exploring the clinic, looking for more of your friends instead of resting like you should. "(Name!)" You turned in the direction of the voice and saw Sasha. "I'm so glad you're back, here, I'll share my candy with you." She looked left and right before handing you a lollipop. "I stole them from the head nurse's office," she whispered. 

You were glad to see that she was alright, though she did have bandages wrapped around her head. "I'll keep the secret, thank you," you hid the lollipop. "Are you doing alright?" 

"Yup, I'm fine, the doctor said I had a concussion, but I feel fine really, so I offered to help the nurses take care of patients," once again, Sasha looked around to make sure no one was listening in on the conversation. "Hospital food really isn't so bad," she whispered. She pulled out a bread bun wrapped in a napkin from her scouts jacket which was buttoned up to hold the food. "Here, take this, there was some guy staring at me back there like he suspected something. I gotta go eat the other two before I get caught. See you later (Name)."

"See ya, and thanks," you shook your head, laughing quietly. Maybe that guy was staring at her because she looked like she had three boobs before. You saw a nurse with long dark hair and wondered if she was the girl Jean had flirted with earlier. Either way, you mentioned Connie's request for a sleeping pill and she said she'd take one to him right away, the concern in her eyes sincere, though just the same regardless of the subject of it. 

No one questioned why you were eating a bread bun, or why you were eating a lollipop afterwards, they were too busy taking care of the patients around them, or crying in agony depending on the situation. You wondered how you were even able to keep the food down, though you arrived at the answer quickly enough, because you had to. You couldn't slow down, you couldn't take in the tragedies, your job as a scout wasn't done.

You jumped as a woman nearby screamed and your head snapped in her direction. You recognized the man consoling her as Tarok, his poofy black hair still messy from the battle, and realized the woman was his wife. Her clothes were torn and dirty, stained with blood, a cut on her arm was bleeding, but she wasn't cooperating with the nurse who was trying to tend to her, pushing her away instead. Tarok's brown eyes were closed tightly, his teeth pressed together. His hand drew circles across his wife's back trying to sooth her, though he seemed unable to speak, as if attempting to do so would cause him to break down too. A tear silently fell from his eye, then another, you nearly tripped as you stepped back from the scene unnoticed, catching only a glimpse of a bloody form on the bed behind them, a doctor hunched over the form, looking sad and apologetic. 

The doctor exited the room where Tarok and his wife were, white coat stained with red. "Doctor," you hurried after him. The elderly man pushed up his round glasses and gave you an inquisitive look, though he didn't stop walking, he had patients to tend to. "What happened to Tarok and his wife?"

The doctor let out a long sigh and glanced at the wing emblem on your uniform. You had a feeling that he was only sharing this information with you because you were a scout, as was Tarok, so you were comrades. "I don't know exactly how it happened, but from what I heard, a titan exploded and tore another titan apart. A limb from the other titan was thrown over the wall by the explosion and it exploded inside. The wall itself wasn't significantly damaged, but a house a couple of streets from here was partially destroyed. There were two children upstairs. Their mother, who was downstairs at the time, survived with minor injuries, but the second floor was damaged badly and the children didn't make it. People started leaving their houses after that and heading to the inner edge of Rose."

Your eyes widened in shock. The doctor didn't wait for you to speak. A new batch of injured soldiers was brought in and he went off, following the sounds of pain. You hurried down the seemingly endless halls, though it wasn't really that much of a huge building, it just felt like it was. People weren't safe, you realized, not even inside the walls. That was something that the residents of Maria learned years earlier. 

"Excuse me, miss scout." A nurse called out to you. "This way, please," she signaled for you to follow her.

You curiously followed, swallowing the lump in your throat, "what's this way?" You cleared your throat self-consciously when you realized how choked up you were.

The nurse didn't comment on the shaky sound of your voice and instead offered an answer to your question. "Commander Erwin said that all the able bodied scouts that don't already have orders should be prepared for another expedition. The others are over here."

You nodded, at least now you were going where you were supposed to go. "By the way, miss..."

"(Name)," you supplied.

"(Name)," the nurse repeated, as if making a conscious effort to memorize it. You reached the destination she was leading you towards, spotting a few scouts resting in a room with several beds and a table with food. "Have you seen Raphel?" The nurse asked just as she stopped in front of the room.

It was her, his fiance, the memory of when he gave her the roses before going outside flashed before your eyes. You lowered your head, tears threatening to escape, but you took a deep breath and pressed on. "Raphel was the one who initially discovered the exploding titans' weakness to water. He's a hero." 

You didn't have to tell her anything more, she understood that he wasn't coming back. Tears began to stream down her face for a few seconds before she bit her lip and managed a small "thank you," then she walked away, off to tend to the injured. 

As you entered the room, you felt exhausted in more ways than one. Krista, Armin and two men you didn't know very well were there. you could probably name them if you tried, but you didn't feel like trying. Krista was as quiet and solemn as the two men, none of them speaking or moving, like statues. Armin looked up at you, as you entered and you sat on the bed next to his. He was the only one who acknowledged your arrival. His eyes turned towards the entranceway again as footsteps indicated a new arrival. 

Mikasa entered the room and paced around, before sighing and taking up the bed on the other side next to yours. "Who could nap at a time like this," she breathe, speaking to no one in particular. 

"How's Eren?" Armin inquired.

"Same as when you went to see him, exhausted, too dizzy to stand, but insisting that he wants to fight," Mikasa informed. "Levi arrived just as the nurses were getting on my last nerve reminding me that all able bodied scouts had to prepare for the next expedition. I don't like it when Levi scolds Eren, he's far too harsh, but at least I know Eren will listen and rest as he should, after Levi gives him an earful. If we're leaving soon, I don't think Eren will be able to come with us."

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a sad chapter, but don't lose hope, the scouts may be down, but they're not out.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	49. Chapter 49: The Calm Before the Storm

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 49: The Calm Before the Storm

Another person entered the room where you and the uninjured scouts were, Tarok silently took up the bed on the opposite end of the room. He laid down and closed his eyes wordlessly, as if hoping everything that happened today would turn out to be a nightmare. Long heavy minutes passed and the food on the table remained untouched. If Sasha had been declared able bodied despite her concussion, it would be entirely gone by now.

You reminded yourself that the scouts that were not present were not all dead. Some were hurt badly, but many only had minor injuries that prevented them from being able to use ODM gear, but they would recover in a few weeks. You waited in silence until Levi appeared at the door. He glanced around, his eyes met yours for a moment, then went to observe each of the other people in the room. Mikasa stood up, ready to solve the enigma and lessen Eren's burden in the war. You and Armin followed and got to your feet, along with the two men, whose names you couldn't recall, and Tarok. Krista snapped to attention, noticing after several silent seconds that Levi was present. She stood and waited for instructions. 

"So this is all there is, you'll just have to do," Levi remained at the door, not bothering to fully step into the room. 

Someone appeared behind him energetically saluting, "Captain Levi, sir! Sorry I'm late, it took a while for me to convince the doctors I was okay!" 

Levi stepped aside, allowing Sasha passage to the room. She spotted the food table, staring at it hungrily. "Is this for us?"

"Take it with you if you want it, we're going back to the base for now. (Name), Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, Kyle, Neil, you'll be going on the next expedition. We will likely leave today in the late afternoon," Levi explained. 

"Sir, what about me? I can fight," Tarok offered. 

Levi took another look at his face and refused, "you will fight, but not today, for now, you can assist in the preparation." Tarok looked like he would protest, but never said a word. He knew Levi could read people very well. Tarok had lost his focus and would be a liability, or an unnecessary casualty. Krista was still waiting to be assigned a task, "you too, Krista." 

She nodded and replied with a quiet, "yes, sir."

xoxox xox xoxox

Since you were going back to the base to rest anyway, you took a moment to stop by Eren's room. Mikasa and Armin tagged along, though they had seen him recently, Levi was there as well. The others went ahead to the base to begin the preparations, with Sasha running ahead. Eren seemed stuck between being asleep and awake as he nibbled on a muffin, or more like his body was demanding sleep and his mind refused to allow it. He turned his head towards the entrance of the room, greeting everyone with a drowsy, "hey... Is it time for the next mission?"

"Only if you dream about it," Levi replied. 

"Rest up, Eren," you reassured. "Leave the rest to us. You've already done so much. I saw you fighting the explosive titans, you really saved the city."

"I don't think I would have lasted much longer if the water weakness wasn't discovered." Eren swallowed the last bite of his muffin and gripped the blanket, his green eyes taking on that all too familiar look of stubborn determination. "I have to become stronger and defeat all the titans!" 

"You have to be alive for that," Levi reminded in a tone that seemed to say, 'behave or I'll kick you.'

Eren nodded, "I know... So, you're all going?"

"Yes," Mikasa nodded. "Armin, (Name) and Sasha are all going," she mentioned some of the people Eren was familiar with.

"Oh yeah, Sasha came by a minute ago," Eren recalled. "She gave me a muffin, told me to get well soon, said something about making sure the bacon was ready to eat before the mission and ran off."

You chuckled along with Mikasa and Armin, that was the typical Sasha alright, always thinking of food. "Let's go, we're moving Eren to the base too," Levi informed. You had thought they were going to keep him at the clinic for observation for a while longer, it seemed that Mikasa and Armin had assumed the same thing. 

Eren stood up, a wave of dizziness rushing to his head. He stubbornly steadied himself and took little steps towards the group. "Ready," he smiled, an uneasy, sleepy smile.

"Too slow," Levi determined. "Mikasa, carry him," Eren opened his mouth, but before he could protest, Levi continued, "Eren, don't complain, those are orders." Eren nodded and obediently allowed Mikasa to pick him up bridal style, she was all too happy to comply.

xoxox xox xoxox

The group returned to the base. You passed by the stables and saw Hange with a few horses, among which you recognized Knight and Cali. "They're here!" You went to pet them, glad that they were safe. "How were they brought in? I didn't think they would open the gates."

"They're good horses and we need them. After the titans were pushed back, we put them on a cargo harness and pulled them over the wall," Hange explained. "Our Fluffy titan tracker is inside. I'll get them all fed and ready to go out again. I can't wait to solve this mystery, so many answers so close!"

You nodded, your determination set, "Right, we'll figure everything out."

Going inside the base, you actually felt reassured. There were a lot of injured people around you, but at least you were able to confirmed that they were alive. The deaths had been slightly less numerous than with the female titan incident, but the injury count had been far higher which resulted in the vast majority of the scouts being left unable to fight for several weeks until they recovered. 

You passed in front of Eren's room on the way to yours. Mikasa went in to put Eren on his bed. He had fallen asleep in the way and kept nuzzling her shoulder. She put him down and nearly fell over as his arms had become so firmly locked around her shoulders that he didn't let go, even in slumber. She gently began to pry him off until she managed to set him down and cover him with the blankets. The movements must have been just enough to slightly wake him. His emerald eyes opened slightly for a moment and he mouthed something that you couldn't quite catch. Mikasa seemed to understand though and smiled, blushing. They were so cute together.

You continued on your way with Levi and went up to your room, then just stood there unsure. "So now what?" You asked impatiently.

"Now you rest and recover. It's possible that by the time the current wave of titans is pushed back, it might be the late afternoon or well into the evening. Normally, we would wait until morning, but if another wave of explosive titans comes we don't know when we'll be able to push them back. Eren will likely be out of commission for at least a couple of days and it doesn't look like it'll rain any time soon. If we keep waiting, we may very well dry up the water supplies before the next rainfall at the rate that we're going. It's not just the area near the gate that's under attack now, the whole wall is in danger and the titans keep coming. We can't afford to lose whatever solution may be hidden in that forest," Levi explained. You nodded, but you still didn't know exactly where to start, you were tense and ready for action, unable to unwind. "(Name), relax, save that fight for later, we need everyone at their best," he hugged you. You pressed yourself against him and tried to relax, though the thought of rest felt alien to you.

"It's weird, like I can't not be alert," you mused.

"You've been on an adrenaline high for hours," Levi acknowledged. "But you need to recover now, I don't want you getting hurt if you're not at your best later." He kissed you, drawing you into the familiarity of his taste. "The life of a scout isn't easy, but..."

You mused on that, you saw many things that were not easy to witness, but hiding away from them wouldn't have made them cease to be. "It's the path of freedom," you finished. 

"Every mission, is a chance to make every other mission that came before it worth it," Levi held you close as he spoke, his breath tickling your ear. "Now rest, so that you may be at your best." He kissed you again, easing you into a relaxed state that you didn't think you could achieve with all the tension in the city. 

You started getting out of the ODM gear belts, it was easy now, but you had been a tangled mess at first. You had still been having a little trouble with the belts when you and Levi had first become a real couple. As part of your training, he insisted that you should be able to get in and out of your ODM gear quickly. You got bored of trying to practice getting yourself in and out of the web of belts, so Levi had let you practice on him. It was much more entertaining that way, and you diligently put on and took off and put on and took off the ODM gear belts until you could do it speedily.

You took a warm shower with Levi, then rested. You didn't think you'd actually fall asleep, but for now, there was nothing else in the world except you and Levi. You closed your eyes, your head resting on his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around you, then surprisingly, you drifted off to sleep.

xoxox xox xoxox

"(Name)" You shifted slightly, your eyes closed. "(Name)" There was movement near you and the next thing you knew you were sitting instead of laying down, your pillow seemed set on getting up. "Wake up, (Name)," Levi kissed you, pulling you further away from the grasp of slumber. "It's time to get up, you didn't hear the knock on the door or anything?"

You yawned and shook your head. Apparently someone had been at the door to remind Levi and you that it was time to get up. He got out of bed and started to change into a Survey Corps uniform. You blinked, trying to make yourself wake up and your senses become focused, if only to enjoy the show. The gears in your head must be stuck or something if watching Levi change right in front of you wasn't snapping you awake right away. Then you recalled all that happened and realized why your subconscious wasn't eager to bring your recent memories to light right away. More awake now, you got out of bed and stretched, then began to put on a uniform. you saw that it was still light out, though the sun was noticeably lower in the horizon. "Is it still the same day?"

"It is, the sun will likely be setting by the time we head out, but the Garrison is finally making a breakthrough and we can't afford to waste the opportunity. Too many Garrison soldiers are injured and the Military Police is putting up plenty of resistance to joining the light, only a few of them decided to assist the Garrison. Eren still isn't ready to fight again, if another attack like this happens tomorrow, Rose will be in serious danger. Even if night falls while we're out there, we have to go now, we need to end this," Levi looked determined not to let the titans take over Rose.

You nodded, "right, we'll get to the bottom of this tonight and stop it for good." You had to believe you could or the battle was already lost. You tied your hair into a ponytail, then folded it in half because it was so long. Your hair grew very fast, as if longer hair was a side effect of your healing ability, with your body wanting to replace not only damaged skin but your hair as well. You'd have to cut it soon, or it would get in the way, it already kind of did, since it was knee length. For the time being, you tugged the folded up low ponytail down the back of your jacket underneath the emblem of the wings of freedom.

xoxox xox xoxox

Levi and you headed downstairs to the mess hall, where Sasha, as promised, had some generous portions of bacon with a side of mashed potatoes ready for the squad. The mess hall was full, though not everyone was there to get food, some where simply there to see off the squad, since traveling to the gates was not so easy for those that were hurt.

After the meal, you and Levi stayed at the mess hall for a while with everyone until Erwin returned from the wall. According to his calculations, an opening would be possible soon. He rounded up the squad to go to a briefing room. Erwin, Levi, Hange, Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, Kyle, Neil and you were the only people there.

Erwin began the meeting. "After this meeting is over, we will head to the gates and wait there until the gates can be open. The city appears darker because of the walls, but we may still have some rays of light to work with on the outside. The titans are normally less active at night, but we have learned that what we think we know is not set in stone. Furthermore, it takes titans some time to become less active under normal circumstances after sunset. We will be dealing with the possibility of an attack in the darkness. Our destination is the forest. I expect that it will be dark by then. We have a full moon tonight, but that won't be of much help in the darkness of the forest. This operation will be extremely dangerous, but we cannot afford to fail."

"When we reach the forest, we must stay close to each other and alert to even the smallest sound or hint of movement. We cannot allow the titans to surround us. If a titan attacks in the forest, we must slay it swiftly and retreat before it explodes. The explosion will at least clear away some of the vegetation, making the battle field slightly easier to work with. If we find a small titan, we must protect it from being eaten or killed by the large ones. (Name), it'll be up to you to establish communication with the small titans, we will be returning to the same spot as earlier." Erwin pointed it out on a large map for everyone to see. It was the spot where Artie and Melinda's bodies were, they had to be left there in the rush to save the city. 

"We must also be on the lookout for a female titan with long translucent hair. We have reason to suspect that she is human, though she may not be in control of her actions in titan form. Neither the small titans nor the female have been hostile to us directly, but we must still be careful. The small titans transform the large ones into abnormal explosives. If we are fortunate, that fate has not yet befallen the female," that was another reason why the mission couldn't wait. "There is something to be found in that forest, something that the small titan was trying to show us, we need to see what that is, the future of the city, of human kind, depends on it." The meeting continued with a discussion of a few strategies, formations, and theories of what might await. 

xoxox xox xoxox

After the briefing was done, you, Mikasa and Armin stopped by to see Eren for a minute before the squad went to the stables for the horses, which had already been prepared. You hopped on Knight, no longer needing to have him kneel so you could get on. Fluffy was on the saddle bag of Erwin's horse like before, since he was leading the expedition. 

"Who put this here?" Levi pointed at the bouquet of roses tugged into Cali's saddle bag.

"I thought it might be a good idea to bring some fresh roses, I had the thorns removed and everything," Hange replied. "I mean, think about it, the roses were out of place, what if there's some significance to them? We might as well take them just in case."

"I doubt they'll be useful," none the less, Levi left the roses where they were. With everyone on their horses, the squad went to the gates. 

xoxox xox xoxox

The atmosphere near the gates was heavy. It was all part of the same day, but it felt like a much longer time had passed. Lamps shone from all around and the squad carried some lamps as well, though they were currently off to save oil. The city still felt very dark in the shadow of the walls and you know that it was only darker behind each layer. Several long minutes passed and you were starting to feel impatient, there were explosions in the distance and pipes all around, going up to the wall and beyond. It looked like several small pieces of titans must have been thrown over the wall at some point, as the buildings nearby looked damaged, but the wall had held up with only minor damages.

Dot Pixis came by and exchanged a few words with Erwin, then left. More minutes passed and as the light continued to fade away. Then suddenly, the announcement was given that the gates would be opened. As soon as the gates opened, the Survey Corps squad rode away full speed, careful not to step on the pipes that were extended beyond the wall in an effort to stop the titans further from the gates and make it safe to open them and have the scouts head out.

The sun was suddenly in your face again and you blinked and squinted trying to become accustomed to the light. The difference was disorienting. It was night time in the city, but outside, without the walls to block the light, the days were longer and there was no dark hour in the evening between sunset and the time when the moon and stars would become visible. Beyond the multitude of pipes, the scouts advanced to the Garrison blockade. They Garrison didn't have the casualties of the Survey Corps or the high requirements of the Military Police and a result they were the most numerous branch of the military. 

Many Garrison soldiers stood at the blockade and you actually caught sight of a few MPs as well, though only one for every twenty Garrison soldier approximately. You dashed past the blockade that still defended against the exploding titans, draining away the city's water supply to protect its walls. Explosions went off left and right, but the Garrison had established a good defense with the water, so there were no casualties for you to see this time. The scouts continued getting further away from the exploding titans and into a clear expanse of land. 

A few abnormals, most likely explosive, ran by, but the group was able to dodge their path in a mad dash for the forest. It came to the point where Fluffy just stopped barking, giving up on directing the crazy humans who insisted on rushing straight into danger. The forest loomed ahead. 

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of danger, tension and secrets coming up on the final mission of the story. I skipped most of the meeting with Erwin because it'll be more fun for you to do the theorizing on your own and see what happens, rather than seeing the whole discussion, and also because I don't want to spoil the strategies they're planning to use. Just a quick note about that in case you wonder why the scouts know certain things during the mission.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	50. Chapter 50: Into the Darkness

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 50: Into the Darkness

The sky held on to its last few rays of light, but the oranges and purples were replaced by pitch black as soon as you entered the forest. "Lamps on!" Erwin ordered. Everyone turned on their lamps and continued on, speeding through the forest in hopes that the constant movement would make it less likely to get caught in a fight. 

Then Fluffy started howling, and shortly after, she appeared, the strange female titan with translucent hair. She dashed towards the forest's edge and sat there, looking towards the horizon as the sunlight dissipated from view. She looked at it in sadness, as if the night brought nothing but sorrow to her.

"After her!" Erwin changed course, with the whole group following after him. 

An abnormal titan headed for the group, but the female shouted with an echoing voice like a siren from a fairytale and the titan's face suddenly changed its lost expression, instead looking haunted. The abnormal, then dashed away from the forest, it's eyes losing the focus they had momentarily gained at the sound of the strangely melodious yet haunting voice. 

Erwin halted the advance at the edge of the forest. "Let's approach her carefully."

Hange got off her horse and began slowly walking toward the female titan, speaking softly. "Hello there, don't run away this time. Let's be friends."

The titan spotted Hange and the scout froze so as to not startle her. The titan studied Hange, then her eyes moved to the other scouts a few feet behind her. She observed them all, slowly moving back. 

"She's going to make a run for it, we'll have to trap her," Erwin voiced quietly and everyone started getting ready to put the plan that was discussed during the briefing into action.

"Wait," Hange called out with urgency, despite not raising the volume of her voice too much. "Look at her, look at her eyes," she stepped back and turned her head to follow the titan's gaze, "the roses."

Levi noticed that the titan was indeed looking at the flowers peeking out of Cali's saddle bag. "There was something to this after all?" He took the bouquet and approached Hange slowly to hand her the flowers. 

The titan moved, taking a stepped forward this time, looking at Levi with curiosity. "She's not running away. That's it, come to us, we're your friends." Hange took a step forward and the titan took a step back. "No, no, don't go, its ok, I won't hurt you." The titan didn't entirely seem convinced. "Levi, you go, she seems to like you best."

"Or maybe she just likes the flowers," Levi stepped forward slowly, holding out the bouquet.

"I hope (Name) doesn't get jealous," Hange joked as she stepped back.

The female titan looked at the flowers, her eyes becoming focused on them. She reached out and could see Levi becoming more alert, ready to jump out of the way if she decided to attack. She reached out with her thin hand, her fingers double the length of what they should proportionally be. Levi held the flowers out for her to take, but she instead held out her hand, palm up. "Really? You think I'll just walk into your hand?"

"I think you should," Hange encouraged.

"Fine, but I'm chopping off your freaky fingers if you try to grab me," Levi cautiously stepped onto the titans hand. The night had fully fallen and the light of the full moon and stars only provided short range, limited visibility, the lamps didn't do much to expand the range.

"You heard him, titan, no one's allowed to touch Levi but (Name), so don't get grabby." Hange wouldn't be Hange if she didn't come up with those silly teasing jokes in the middle of all this danger. But honestly, she did kind of have a point, Levi was yours.

The female titan lifted her hand so that Levi was right in front of her face. She examined him as if looking for some hint of familiarity. Then she lowered her hand again and waited for Levi to hop off. 

"That was strange," Hange voiced quietly, as if referring to a specific detail, rather than the experience as a whole. "The way she was looking at Levi was as if she was trying to figure out who he was."

The titan took the flowers from Levi and looked at him sadly, backing away in disappointment. Then she wailed loudly, as if in pain, and jumped high over the tree tops with amazing speed, hopping from one tree to another. 

"We can't lose her!" Erwin shouted, "horizontal formation, we can't try to communicate again, we need to capture her now!" 

Leaving the horses behind for the time being, the scouts rushed through the forest with the speed of their ODM, trying to stay as high as possible not to lose sight of the titan, though that was easier said than done. The scouts were spread out in an horizontal formation, they couldn't travel next to each other with the limited light of the lamps attached to their ODM gear, or they would risk not seeing their allies and accidentally hitting them with the hooks. 

The titan sunk beneath the vegetation and the scouts followed, lowering themselves to chase after her. you haven't crashed into this many branches since your days as an ODM gear rookie. You heard a pained grunt from somewhere to your left and a thump, as if someone had hit a thick branch, and fallen to the ground, but you couldn't stop now. Anyone who fell had to get up on their own, it felt cruel, but the scouts simply couldn't jeopardize the future of the city to help one of their own. Levi had told you to trust your comrades to be alright, or you might unintentionally render their efforts in vain, recalling that, you pressed on. 

"Does anyone see her?" Erwin called out after a while. You could see a hint of the light of his lamps further away to the left, though they were hardly visible through the flora.

Levi was a bit closer, to your right, but still a few feet away. You looked in every direction, then joined the chorus of voices declaring that they had lost track of the titan. 

A tense moment of uncertainty passed and the group was about to head back for the horses, when Sasha suddenly shouted, "a little titan!"

"Don't let it get away!" Erwin moved forward and slightly to the left, mindful not to get in anyone's path, redirecting the formation to position itself to advance towards where Sasha was. 

"I got him!" Sasha called out. The other scouts reached her position and regrouped. The squirming little titan calmed down as soon as he saw you, his arms reaching for you like a toddler wanting to be picked up, despite being as tall as a man. 

You stepped forward, briefly glancing around to see who was there and who wasn't. Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, Kyle, Levi, Hange and Erwin were there. Neil was missing, he was the one who fell earlier. You weren't personally acquainted with him, but you hoped the quiet young man of ginger hair and olive green eyes was alright. 

"We lost Ral," Kyle voiced, looking around the group. Kyle was a tall man with platinum hair, light blue eyes and a prominent chin.

"He'll catch up with us," Levi looked towards the darkness of the forest, hoping that he was right.

The surname Ral sounded familiar, then you remembered Petra Ral, who had been in Levi's squad before you met him. You didn't hear anything about her having a brother in the scouts, so perhaps Neil was her cousin. You knew it had been difficult for Levi when his squad was wiped out, though he tried not to show it, to move forward with the scouts that remained. Now another member of the Ral family was in danger of never returning home and you knew Levi would feel responsible for him if he didn't turn up alright.

You woke from your thoughts as the little titan started pulling on your sleeve to show you something. You followed along, taking his hand firmly so he wouldn't run off. He felt reassured and willingly held on to your hand. The scouts followed you, positioning themselves in a circle around you. A suspicious sound was heard, they were footsteps, but they were not the footsteps of Neil catching up with the group, those steps belonged to a creature that was much larger.

"A titan!" Levi and the others maintained their position around you.

For a moment, you considered joining the fight as soon as it was determined where the titan was, but then you recalled the plans discussed during the briefing. You had to play your part and trust your allies to do their part as well. You picked up the surprisingly light human sized titan and took to the trees to keep him safe from the large titan. You wondered if the female had returned, but you doubted it. The little titan didn't seem to care about the large one, so it had probably already been bitten.

The titan came into view, it moved like an abnormal, but it wasn't too big. You moved out of the way with the little titan knowing what would follow. You heard the sounds of battle as you focused on moving forward, then you heard Levi confirmed that the titan was slain and the others began to move away from the it. You knew what was coming, you counted in your head like you were told to during the briefing. Erwin and Levi had spent some time observing the battle from the wall and determining how long it would take for the titan to explode. 

You landed and dropped to the ground after the count was done, tackling the little titan down as well. It wouldn't be safe to try to put more distance between yourself and the titan now that it was too close to exploding, so you stayed low and covered your head as previously instructed. You heard more people dropping to the ground nearby and the titan exploded. 

Everyone started getting up, mindful of the fact that the small titan could disintegrate any minute. You got up, brushing debris off yourself. Levi must be annoyed with how dirty everyone was already. "Bones!" Armin exclaimed, causing everyone to jump and look at where he was pointing.

Erwin and Hange went to examine them, "human," Hange observed, there were bits of flesh still attached to them and they stank terribly. "Not recent."

Your first thought was to worry that someone just got blown up and you looked at everyone to confirmed they were still there. Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, Kyle, Levi, Hange, Erwin... Neil was still missing and your next thought was to fear the bones were his, but then Hange mentioned that about them not being recent. "Oh..." You felt sick. "This was the area where the bodies were." Those who didn't know what you were talking about must have assumed the bodies in question were from scouts that had fallen in action earlier, but Raphel wouldn't have decomposed so much yet, plus he was further ahead, the bodies that were torn apart had belonged to Artie and Melinda. 

The little titan didn't seem to understand what was going on and offered no reaction other than tugging at your sleeve impatiently. You felt Levi's hand on your shoulder and steeled your resolve to move on, taking the little titan's hand and allowing him to guide you to whatever he had been trying to show you. The small titan led you towards the river, where more gore awaited, it was the site of Raphel's death. 

By the lamplight you could see Armin's face turning a sickly shade of green. Sasha was pouting and rubbing her stomach, as if regretting eating such a large meal before the mission. Mikasa was frowning in concentration, forcing herself to focus on watching out for any dangers that may lurk nearby. Kyle looked disturbed, but relatively focus. Levi looked like he could set the whole forest on fire with his deadly glare. Hange's studious eyes were locked on the little titan, her expression uncharacteristically serious. The lamplight gleaming off her glasses and made her look like a mad scientist from a horror novel. Erwin kept his eyes forward, in the direction the small titan was going, occasionally glancing around and looking back just in case. 

The tension could be cut with a knife as you drew ever closer to the possibility of answers upstream, walking next to the river. Then as you climbed over a fallen tree on the river's edge, you yelped, perhaps more so in a startle than real pain, and most of your companions jumped. 

"What is it?" Levi asked impatiently.

"I'm so sorry!" Sasha suddenly exclaimed, though the exchange made little sense to everyone else.

"It's alright, it wasn't your fault," you assured her.

"What just happened?" Kyle asked in utter confusion.

"I held on to that big branch on the tree trunk while jumping over it," Sasha pointed at it, "but I ended up grabbing (Name)'s hair too."

"I think it was tangled up in the branch anyway from when I jumped over," you thought aloud. "I didn't even realize it got out from under my jacket." With all the high speed moving around and all the leaves that brushed against your head, it was a miracle the long ponytail didn't get tangled up sooner.

Levi shook his head, "It's just going to get in the way."

You'd feel rather silly if you ended up getting hurt because your hair got tangled up on something and it would be painful if a titan grabbed it. "Yeah, you're right, I should have thought of that earlier. It looks like we're here though." 

You untangled the ribbon that was supposed to be holding you hair folded out of the mess of dirty locks, while the little titan stared into the hollow fallen tree. You caught a glimpse of Erwin looking into the tree and glance at Hange for clues. She examined the area, but found nothing at first, yet the little titan seemed adamant on not going any further. Shrugging, Hange crawled into the hallow tree trunk, lamp in hand. 

You managed to free one of the ribbons and left the other one in, only pulling it down slightly to leave some room between it and your neck. "Levi, could you cut it off?" 

You tugged at the ponytail in indication and Hange popped out of the tree, more dirty and scratched than when she went in, just on time to comment. "Woah, Levi, you better feel honored, (Name) must trust you a lot if she's letting you cut her hair." At least she was her normal self again. 

Levi quietly cut your hair with one if his swords. You felt odd, lightheaded without the weight of the ponytail constantly tugging at the back of your head. Levi initially said nothing, but reach over again and cut off a few loose hairs. "That's all that can be done for now." He decided.

"I know, I don't expect it to be perfectly straight." You tied your hair with the ribbon again, in a small ponytail that when just below your shoulders. You dropped the long ponytail on the ground and, since you were so close to the river, the water carried it away. It got stuck on some branches and rocks a little further downstream, but by then your attention was turned away from it and back to Hange and her findings.

Hange held up what appeared to be an ordinary piece of fabric. "This is all I could find in the tree trunk."

You looked at the little titan. He had sat down beside the hollow tree and didn't seem to want to move. He had been so eager to take you to that spot, but now that you were there, he just sat down and didn't do anything. 

Kyle shook his head hopelessly, "looks like we're not any closer to the answers after all." None the less, he began to examine the ground and nearby trees for any signs of anything.

"Tony," the little titan looked at you and you wondered if he recognized the word. It was odd to refer to this being by the name that belong to the child that was similar to a younger brother to you. "Is there more that you want to show us?" The small titan stared at you blankly. He seemed confident that you weren't abandoning him and didn't cling to you like the others did, but he made no motion to form any sort of response or signal. "Do you understand me?" He looked at you like a person looking at a bird singing, the meaning was indistinguishable, but the sound was pleasant. "Artie, Melinda, (Name), Anthony." You recited a few names, including your own, trying to get a reaction from the small titan, then sighed in disappointment. "He doesn't understand words, it's just my face that he seems to know, but he doesn't know his own name or mine."

Kyle shook his head, palms raised upward to indicate he had nothing to show after looking around. A moment of silence overtook the scouts. Erwin seemed like he was about to speak, but Armin piped in first, "it's blue." Everyone looked at him as if waiting for elaboration. "I mean, it's light blue, it's not a piece of fabric from our insignia, and besides, it was inside the tree, so it has to belong to someone else. That is, I don't think a scout would crawl into a tree when climbing would be safer."

"Right," Erwin agreed. "Someone left flowers earlier and now we find a piece of fabric. Looks like we'll have to continue our search and do some detective work at the same time."

"I think they're different," Mikasa suggested.

"Different?" Sasha tilted her head in curiosity as to what she meant.

"Yes," Mikasa shared her theory. "The female titan ran away, but the roses had her attention for a while and she took them when she escaped. What if the flowers are a signal of sorts for her?"

"You're onto something," Hange agreed. "She did look at Levi as if trying to figure out who he was."

"She must not be able to fully recognize people right away," Levi mused. "What would have happened if I turned out to be who she was expecting?" 

There was no answer to that question yet, but the question itself provided an argument in favor of Mikasa's theory. "There is someone out there who would approach the female titan for some reason, perhaps Fredrick. I see where this is going and I agree," Erwin confirmed.

"Ah, I get it now," Kyle nodded, "if you have the guts to offer a titan flowers, you wouldn't be hiding in a hollow tree."

"Tony..." you whispered softly, a hopeful, perhaps too hopeful, theory forming in your mind. "Is that it?" You asked the little titan, though he didn't understand you. "Were you trying to lead us to the original?" As expected, the creature offered no reply.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh the tension! :D 
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	51. Chapter 51: Raging Fire

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 51: Raging Fire

"We'll have to explore this whole area, there must be another clue nearby," Erwin decided. Before he could speak another word, the little titan disintegrated. It wasn't all that surprising by now, since they always met the same fate before. 

Following the occurrence and a few stares from the people who were seeing it for the first time, Fluffy dashed by full speed. Levi whistled loudly and she returned. You blinked in surprised, she listened to him more than even to you, though she was supposed to be your pet. The horses must have taken this as a signal to come because three of them arrived on the spot, though you thought you saw a few more running around nearby. At least Knight and Cali were among the ones that came back, you were fond of them and didn't want them to get lost.

"We're changing tactics, we'll have to move slower on foot to search for clues. Horizontal formation, be aware of your surroundings and don't stray from the group. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Everyone got into formation and once again Erwin began to lead the expedition. You alternated between looking at your surroundings and at the ground in case there was anything that served as a clue, though it was difficult in the darkness. The three horses and Fluffy were taken along, she was quiet and calm for the most part. Another of the horses found the humans and instinctively sought after the safety of their company. 

After a while, Fluffy started howling, which meant that the female titan with translucent hair was nearby. The group followed her head, but came face to face with an abnormal titan and it was very tall. Fluffy was still howling and pulling on her leash. Erwin picked her up and dodged the titan making a grab for her. It looked like following the scent of the female titan was taken as a priority over dodging the other titans, a fact that the scouts had been unaware of before.

Levi's ODM gear pulled him to the tree tops, then he dropped down, spinning rapidly. His blades cut from the back of the titan's head down its spine, to wherever the weak spot might have moved down the spine. "Take cover!" Everyone ran away. You forgot to count, but dropped to the ground and protected your head when you saw the others do the same. The explosion sounded off and once again you were assaulted by branches and rocks that were thrown by its magnitude. 

After the explosion was off, it became evident that Fluffy wasn't an infallible titan tracker, but a creature trained to have priorities. As everyone got up and stretched their sore bruised limbs, Erwin voice what was already on your mind. "It has to be Fredrick." It was the name he had taken on later, his previous name held no meaning, as if his previous identity never existed.

The scouts advanced in hopes that retrieving the human within the female titan brought them answers as well as the whereabouts of Fredrick. He must have trained Fluffy to find the female titan and used the roses as a signal for her to try to recognize him, though he seemed to stop needing Fluffy at some point. If he occasionally took her from your home at Sina when you were younger, there was no way for you to know, since you were drowsy and disoriented most of the time during that era of your life.

Fluffy kept howling, but that didn't mean the female titan was the only one out there, so the scouts advanced with caution. The group arrived at a clearing where the light of the moon and stars shone through, illuminating the terrible scene below. The translucent haired female titan was there, wailing quietly in a terrible, haunting agony before the body of a man, two bouquets of roses placed over the cadaver. 

"Father..." You felt your entire being go numb, then a burning pain overtook you as tears flowed down your cheeks. You rushed towards the body, as if needing to confirm beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was him and he was dead. You thought you heard Levi say your name, but you didn't stop until you fell to your knees next to him. "Father!" The female titan didn't run away, her face showed shock as she stared at you, then anger as she picked up your father's body, cradling it in her hands. "You monster, did you do this?" For a moment, fury almost overtook you, but then you saw how protective the titan was of him, even in death. "No... It wasn't you... I'm his daughter, I need to know who did this!"

From the corner of your eyes you could see Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, Kyle, Levi, Hange and Erwin surrounding the female titan. They planned to get her tangled in their ODM gear ropes and cut out the human inside. The monstrous looking, yet gentle titan woman stared at you for a long moment and finally lowered her hands, doubt still evident in her eyes. You looked into your father's face, he looked like he was sleeping, but his face was very cold and he held no hint of breath or pulse. He presented no wounds, as if he had passed away in sleep or rendered unconscious and killed by poison.

The ODM gear was fired and the scouts moved quickly around the female titan. You jumped back just in time not to get tangled up in the ropes and watched as she fell to the ground. The monster got angry and screamed in a deafening roar that left your ears ringing. Loud footsteps were heard from every direction. The titans were coming and the scouts were surrounded. In another surprise twist, the female's translucent hair moved like tentacles, grabbing the scouts by surprise and throwing them in different directions. Her skin gave way easily and ripped out with the ODM gear hooks as you as the others were thrown through the air.

You shot your ODM gear to prevent hitting the ground harshly and it hooked onto a tree. You pulled yourself towards it, leaves and branches scratching at you, then you felt something large grab your leg. You sliced away the titan's hand, freeing yourself from its grasp and moving out of the way of the explosion. The explosion of the fallen limb damaged the titan's legs, though not enough to blow them off. You shot your ODM gear and missed in the darkness, then shot the other side and moved out of the way just in time to dodge the titan making a grab for you with its other hand. You went around and cut downward, from the neck to the spine, until your swords hit a bump. You deepened the cut there and a spray of blood gushed out, followed by the telltale red glow. You moved out of the way, counting down to the explosion and took cover.

That was one titan down, but there were others nearby. You heard a few explosions in several different directions and didn't know which way to go. Your heart was racing and your mind was foggy. You had moved on pure adrenaline powered instinct during the fight, you didn't think, you just reacted. You wanted to scream at the top of your lungs, the world just wasn't making sense to you anymore, life seemed dead set on stealing everything from you. You fell to your knees on the ground, trembling in rage and confusion and punched the ground. Then another explosion echoed, and another after that. the scouts, your friends, your comrades and your lover were still fighting. You took big deep breaths. you couldn't think of anything but the fight now, 'focus, figure this out, save them, avenge father, live, I have to live to do all that,' you told yourself as another titan came close enough for your limited light to illuminate it.

xoxox xox xoxox

Armin got to his feet after being knocked down by the aftershock of the exploding titan he had just slain. He was breathing heavily, absolutely terrified, but refusing to die. His hands trembled as he gripped the ODM gear controls on the swords' handles and considered his next move. There had been another explosion nearby, it seemed to be the closest, so he reasoned he should head in that direction to try to regroup with the others. He moved a few steps and suddenly, saw the light of someone's lamps, and in a blur of motion, Levi had landed in front of him. "Captain Levi," Armin hurried to meet him, searching for guidance on what to do next.

"We need to regroup with the others and retrieve the human that's controlling the female titan," Levi began to move in the direction of another explosion.

"Right!" Armin quickly followed, moving from one tree to another. 

There were three consecutive explosions nearby, which made Levi change course. Then another two sounded off in a different area, but it was further away. Footsteps came from the side and Levi halted his advance to get rid of the titan that had began to chase after them. "Armin, go ahead and-" He stopped cold.

Armin looked at Levi, then at the approaching titan and gasped. Something was hanging from the side of its mouth by the hair. It was a human head that looked all too familiar. "(Name)..." Armin let out a quiet terrified whisper.

Levi dashed forward in a spin attack and sliced the titan into small pieces that glowed a threatening red. Armin knew it was time to retreat, he forced himself to do so and trusted Levi to do the same. After the explosion had passed, Armin picked himself up from the ground and searched for Levi. The captain was standing a few feet away, looking more enraged than Armin had ever seen him. The blond boy silently approached him with a trembling voice and disbelieving tears, "c-captain..."

"Get out of the forest," Levi ordered darkly. "Find the others and tell them to get out of the way. I'll bring the culprit out if I have to destroy this whole damn forest." Armin's eyes widened, but he dared not speak a word of protest. "Go!"

Armin managed to choke out a frightened, "yes, sir!" and moved in the direction of the multiple explosions that had gone off earlier, as another went off in the same place. Whoever was there was clearly giving the titans a very tough fight.

Armin moved forward, towards the area of the explosions. The fight seemed to be over and he thought he caught a faint light in the distance, belonging to someone's lamp, but then it went out. "Hello?" He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to call out again, managing to make his voice loud enough to be heard this time. "Is there anyone here?"

"Armin!" A familiar voice replied from the darkness.

"Mikasa!" Armin called back. He halted his advance in a precaution. He couldn't see her and didn't want to accidentally hit her with one of the ODM hooks if she was up in a tree. "Where are you?"

"I'm right up ahead, I can see your lights," Mikasa called back. "I lost one of my lamps in battle, a titan swallowed it, and the other one had a leak, so it's out of oil now."

"I'm heading over to you," Armin moved a bit closet, calculating Mikasa's position, then dropped down and advanced on foot. He spotted Mikasa climbing down from the tree she had been in to meet him on the ground as a series of explosions sounded off in the distance. "Here, take one of my lamps," Armin removed one of the lamps from the side of the ODM gear and gave it to Mikasa, the explosions catching his attention with growing alarm. "We need to get out of here, we need to find the others and retreat. Levi's planning to destroy the forest to bring out the culprit."

"What? That's crazy, he can't destroy the whole forest by himself, how is he going to-" Mikasa was interrupted by something that looked odd in the distance, like a glow. She looked in that direction, feeling as if there was something there. "Wait," she went up to the tree tops again to have a look and came down with the news. "The forest is on fire!"

"He really is going to destroy it..." Armin whispered, expression shocked. "It's (Name)," his voiced trembled at having to deliver the news. Mikasa looked at him, bracing herself for the worse. "(Name) is dead."

xoxox xox xoxox

You made your way around the forest, trying to meet up with another of your companions. There were many explosions some distance away, clueing you in to which way to go. The sound of flowing water made you realize that you were near the river, though you had move upstream in the course of that last fight, the titan moved very erratically and it was difficult to hit him. You looked at the hand on the edge of the river and shuddered at the sight. You flexed your left fingers over your face over and over just to feel and see that they were indeed there. The regeneration had really taken a lot of energy, plus you were already tired from all the running around. The nap and meal you had before the mission was starting to wear out.

You caught sight of a light upstream. The group had not passed by this area before and you wondered why there was a light there. You went to examine it and found a cave on the river's side on a little hill and several empty bottles at the river's edge. You climbed up the hill and noticed the cave was more like a tunnel, with a smaller opening in the opposite end. The lamp on the ground had been abandoned, so you picked it up, extinguished it and took its oil for your own lamps. You turned one off to conserve oil since there was no immediate danger and investigated further. The cave branched out in the direction away from the river a short way inland in a dead end. 

You crawled into the little cavern, reasoning that no titan would be small enough to fit, and if one reached into one side of the cave, you could exit out the other, not that they could see you there while you were investigating. There were several supplies at the cave. You examined the supplies and found a bottle of water. You were thirsty and weren't about to drink the river water with all that fell into it, so you drank from the bottle. The water was clear and tasted normal, so you reasoned it was fine. 

You rummaged through the supplies some more. Maybe your uncle was camping out here, maybe he would be back. You felt nauseated at the sight of food, though the food itself was perfectly fine. You just didn't have an appetite at the moment, but you were tired and the sunlight was not present to empower you. You knew you could use the energy boost, even if it turned your stomach, so you forced yourself to eat some bread and cheese. You realized the bread was wet, though it had been dry when you picked it up. You dried away your tears and swallowed the rest of the sandwich. You heard more explosions go off and footsteps nearby, yet the steps were light in comparison to a titan. 

After killing at least twenty explosive titans one after another and starting a fire when he lost one of his lamps in the fight, when five of them foolishly decided to gang up on him, Levi had to take a moment to catch his breath and organize his thoughts. It simply wouldn't do to become too reckless. He spotted a little cave beside the river and went in, there didn't seem to be any titans nearby, but at least this way he would be harder to see. He sat down, his back against the cave's stone wall. His breaths were heavy with exertion, his uniform was torn in several places and his swords and equipment were filthy. "I won't forget you..." he whispered under his breath. "I'll win for you... I love you (Name)..."

You jumped out of the little cavern and tackled Levi in a hug and kissed him, drawing strength and determination from the fact that you still had him in your life and you also had friends that you could still make many memories with. "I love you too!"

When you parted, Levi spent a good long moment staring at you in shock. "You're alive..." He pulled you close again and kissed you one more time.

"Of course I'm alive," you voiced, when you stopped for breath. "What ever happened to trusting your comrades to be alright? I'll probably be sad and disturbed by all that happened for a long time," you admitted sadly. "But you were right, every mission, is a chance to make every other mission that came before it worth it. I'm not going to let any of this go to waste, not my father's life and not any of their lives."

"Yes, that's right, we'll make sure no sacrifice is in vain," Levi agreed. The image of the titan and the head made no sense to him now. "It's not that I didn't trust you, I was convinced you'd be alright until I saw a titan with your decapitated head in its mouth. A wound like that wouldn't have been possible to recover from."

"I'm sure it wouldn't be," you held up your left hand, the sleeve torn at the end. "I got hurt, but I'm alright now and I'm certain I didn't get decapitated, so that wasn't my head you saw. But if you did see a head, that means that one of the others is..."

"No, it was yours, Armin saw it too, there's no mistake, unless..." Levi paused for a moment, considering another possibility. "Could it had been the head of a small titan that looked like you?"

"Tony has the same abilities I have, but how in the world would they make a titan of me, I've been with the scouts the whole time. I don't know, but I would imagine a sample of sorts would be needed," you mused.

"That's another mystery to solve," Levi looked towards the direction of the fire, the wind had stopped carrying the smoke, instead filled with the scent of burnt flesh. A strange mist, as if loaded with titan dust invaded the forest. "Looks like the fire was put out, but by whom? Let's investigate."

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of the things in this chapter are a bit confusing, but it will all be explained, a lot of it already has been explained through the hints. Chapter 52 will be a little unusual for a reader insert in that it focuses on what the other characters are doing while the group is separated and our heroine won't show up until the end of the chapter. Don't worry, Reader-chan and Levi will be back in the spotlight in Chapter 53.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	52. Chapter 52: Say Goodnight To Your Prince, Fair Lady

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 52: Say Goodnight To Your Prince, Fair Lady

Erwin examined the surrounding area. He couldn't see any of the others nearby, but the sound of the explosions told him that they had to be close. Every time he tried to advance towards them though, he would run into a titan, slay it, then run for cover from the explosion and try to advance again, only to repeat the process. Ten titans later, the Survey Corps commander was finally making progress. He stopped upon spotting something on a branch that gleamed against the light of his lamps. He investigated and found a headband that split into three bands on the back, attached to square goggle-like glasses. 

"Hange!" Erwin called out, but received no reply. He searched the surrounding area for any signs of her, but there was nothing. He took the glasses with him and moved forward, keeping an eye out for the light of lamps nearby. He stopped when he saw some light from the corner of his eyes and advanced towards it. The light was on the ground, he approached to find ODM gear on the ground and nearby a pair of legs hanging from a tree trunk. "Hange?"

"Commander? is that you?" Hange's voice echoed in the hollow tree she was stuck in. "Am I ever glad to run into you! Well sort of run into you. First I got tossed in the air, then there were those exploding titans, then I lost my glasses, then I found Tony, but he wouldn't come out of the tree, and now I'm stuck in the tree."

"You found Tony?" Erwin inquired for further information. He felt a bit odd talking to Hange's behind rather than her face, but she carried on with the conversation as if they were facing each other normally.

"Oh yes, he's here with me inside the tree, but he's sleeping and won't wake up no matter how much I call him. He's definitely alive though, I can hear him breathing. I think he was sedated," Hange theorized.

"Let's take him with us and regroup with the others," Erwin decided. "When he wakes up he may have some answers."

"Alright, let's go!" Hange cheerfully agreed, though she didn't move an inch. A silent moment passed and she began to move her legs as if running in place. 

"Stay still, I'll give you a hand," Erwin instructed. He attempted to pull Hange out of the tree, but ended up pulling off her boots. He fell back on the ground, boots in hand.

"You're supposed to free me, not undress me," Hange reminded jokingly. 

Erwin set the boots aside next to the ODM gear. Some people thought that most of those who joined the Survey Corps were crazy, and while Erwin wouldn't go that far, he knew for a fact that there was a fair share of insanity, anger issues, odd obsessions and randomness. He tried again, this time pulling Hange by the waist. "There's no way a grownup could fit into such a small hole, even if you took off your gear. What possessed you to try?"

"You don't know what you can do until you try!" Hange cheered, despite her less than favorable position, especially if a titan showed up now. Finally, Erwin managed to pull Hange out of the tree, falling to the ground with Hange sitting on top of him and hitting his head on a rock. "Ah! Fresh air! This feels good, thanks for the help com-" She turned her head back to look at him, noticing that he was knocked out. "Oops..." She turned around and began looking for her glasses, Erwin mentioned that he had them, but where did he put them?

Hange found the glasses and lamented the fact that Erwin's falling body crushed them. Then she heard a voice calling her name "Captain Hange!" Armin came rushing over, waving frantically, as if he was about to take flight without the use of ODM gear. "We need to-" he stopped mid explanation and examined the scene before him in more detail. His face paled, "is the commander...?"

"He's not dead!" Hange got up and moved Erwin to a sitting position and examined the back of his head, her hand coming back stained with blood. "He probably fractured his skull, but he's still breathing," she frowned apologetically. "I'm so sorry about this, Erwin."

"What did you do to him?" Mikasa asked suspiciously, with dubious curiosity, unsure of whether or not she wanted to receive an answer. "And why are you out of your ODM gear and boots?"

"I didn't do anything," Hange pouted. "What do you think I would do?"

"Experiment," Armin and Mikasa replied in unison.

"Well I didn't," Hange put on her boots and ODM gear after propping Erwin's limp form against the hollow tree. "Is that really what it looked like?"

A 'bandit pillaging a corpse' would be an accurate comparison, but Mikasa held her silence about that.

While Hange geared up again, Armin took a moment to explain the situation, his voice raising in pitch as he panicked more with each word. "We need to get out of the forest. (Name) died and Levi's burning this place down."

"What?" Hange exclaimed, her face shocked. "Are you sure?"

"She got decapitated," Armin whimpered. "Levi and I saw her head."

"Poor (Name)," Hange frowned, her teeth gritted to hold back tears. "We better tend to Erwin, take Tony and regroup." At Armin and Mikasa's puzzled looks, Hange elaborated, "Tony is in the tree." She tried to wake Erwin but he was out cold. "C'mon commander... It's no use, he's in dreamland. Help me move him." They moved Erwin out of the way, then Hange peeked inside the tree where Tony was still sleeping. Instead of repeating her mistake, this time she cut an opening and got Tony out. "Here you go," she handed the boy to Mikasa. 

"Alright, Commander, time to regroup," Hange positioned Erwin and picked him up piggyback style. "Geez, you think I was heavy when I fell on you? Try carrying yourself." Bent over from the weight on her back, Hange wobbled forward. "Alright, since Erwin is knocked out, that puts me in charge, let's go, we need to regroup, save all the scouts we can and get that boy to the city, he may have the answers we need. By the way, what's that smell? Is Sasha making barbecue in the middle of the mission?" Hange's joke seemed to lack its usual energy this time.

"That's probably Captain Levi burning titans and everything else in his path," Armin theorized.

"Well, let's meet up with him," Hange decided. "Having Levi on the team will make it much more likely that we'll actually make it."

"Um... Want some help with Commander Erwin?" Armin offered.

"Oh no, you have a more important job," Hange tried to smile. "Grab one of my lamps and add it to your ODM gear, I'll be fine with just one. You're going to be keeping the rest of us safe from titans, so you should have the double lights. I can barely see three feet in front of me without my glasses in the darkness and Mikasa is our best chance to protect Tony, so she has her own mission. This is your mission Armin, be our bodyguard. Mikasa, if the rest of us fall, you need to get Tony back to the city at all costs."

Mikasa looked as if she was about to protest to the idea of going ahead without the others, but Armin nodded, as if indicated he didn't mind if he had to be left behind. Mikasa sighed and nodded uneasily. It was vital to obtain the answers that Tony had. 

xoxox xox xoxox

"Ugh..." Sasha stumbled away from the bushes where she had emptied the contents of her stomach. Her mouth formed a marked frown, her eyes watering with disgust.

"Are you quite... done?" Kyle called from a few feet away. At first he wondered why Sasha had made an emergency landing and darted towards the nearest bush, but the answer became clear. Sasha nodded, her frown very much present. Kyle pulled a small item from his jacket pocket and offered it to her, "here, have a mint, to get rid of the taste."

Sasha never refused food, so of course she accepted the candy and put it in her mouth with a sincere, "thanks." As if exploding titans weren't bad enough, she had to deal with seeing horse guts and a dog head. The little titan tracker had made it far, but it was the end of the line for her. "(Name) is going to be so sad. Her dog and her favorite horses are all dead."

"They served us well," Kyle took a deep breath, then immediately regretted it and covered his mouth and nose to shield them from the putrid smell in the air. Someone had to have started the fire, though it seemed to be out by now. Though the titans exploded, there were no sparks involved, they just blew apart, the shockwave ripped whatever was too close apart and sent it flying in every direction. "C'mon, we can still turn this around, so don't lose hope, alright?"

Sasha nodded quietly. "Can we walk?" She requested, her stomach still felt queasy and she wasn't quite up to flying through the air with branches assaulting her body just yet.

"Actually, I think that might be best, let's save up our gas, but we need to be careful in case more titans show up. Let's save up our oil too, one lamp each, opposite sides," Kyle suggested.

Sasha nodded, "ok," she turned off the lamp on her right, as Kyle was walking to her right and he turned off the lamp on his left. "Where did you get those mints?" The candy was supposed to last longer, but Sasha couldn't help herself and bit into it. "They're delicious!"

"My mother owns a candy shop in the edge of Rose, close to the gate to Sina," Kyle revealed. "Here," he pulled out a little bag from his jacket. "You can have the rest."

Sasha's face brightened as she received the candy, "thank you!" She began tossing one white and red striped ball into her mouth after another until her cheeks had expanded to contain them, making her look like a gluttonous chipmunk. 

Kyle laughed at the sight, recalling when he did that in the past. "My mother always gives me a bag of mints to take along before a mission because they're my favorite. When I was a rookie, I used them to calm down before a mission and kept stuffing my face until the taste of the mint was so strong I couldn't think about being nervous." He didn't do that anymore, having gotten accustomed to being a scout by now, but his mother still gave him a bag of mints whenever he was scheduled to go outside the wall.

Sasha smiled, her mouth full of candy. For a while, all that could be heard was the sound of Sasha's chewing, impatient with letting the candy melt slowly. Kyle quietly mused that she must have quite the set of teeth if she could do that. The explosions in the distance lessened, as the titans that had been summoned by the female were mostly defeated. This was a different mission with a more aggressive approach. The point wasn't to move to a specific place, but to uncover the mysteries that hid in the forest and the less interference there was running around, the better.

The sound of footsteps was heard and Sasha and Kyle turned on both them lamps and took to the trees in preparation. "They're coming at us from both sides!" Sasha realized.

"I'll take the right, you take the left, we cut, then retreat, if we move fast we should be able to do it more or less at the same time, so the whole titan will blow instead of having to deal with explosive limbs falling on us if one dismembers the other." Kyle called out from his tree.

"Got it!" Sasha swallowed the crushed candy, feeling the strong taste of mint run down her throat. The titan from the left, was fast, though smaller, and it arrived first. Sasha shot her ODM gear to the trees above then swung down to cut down the four meter titan's back.

Kyle's target seemed to have deviated its course slightly, but he wasn't about to let it get away. He gave chase, catching up with the seven meter tall monster and cutting down its back until blood sprayed out as the weak spot was hit.

Sasha lost sight of Kyle for a moment as she retreated, "Kyle?"

"I'm here, go!" Kyle's voice came from behind her. They ran to put some distance between themselves and the coming explosion. 

Sasha heard an explosion and felt Kyle tackle her to the ground, causing her to land with a heavy thump, followed by a sharp pain on her right shoulder. "Ow... Kyle?" He made no reply or motion to get up. "That hurt! Kyle?" Sasha dragged out herself from under him with difficulty, her back felt oddly wet and her shoulder was in a lot of pain. She gasped when she realized why he wasn't moving and what the pain on her shoulder was. 

A multitude of blades were stabbed into the area all around. One of them had gone straight through Kyle's chest and stabbed her shoulder. More blades in various sizes were stabbed all over his back and limbs, as well as on the ground around them. This didn't make any sense, if there were this many swords and daggers laying around, they would have seen them. Unless they were... Inside the seven meter, that's why it moved so slowly. Sasha trembled as shocked tears ran down her face, if Kyle hadn't been running behind her, she would be dead. 

She took big breaths of air as she got to her feet and stepped back. She gulped and took a step towards the body. "Sorry, but I have to..." Trying her best to ignore the pain on her shoulder, Sasha took the gas and oil Kyle had left. "I have to go now, I have to warn the others..." She sobbed, "thank you for the candy and for everything," then she ran away, in the direction they had been heading before.

xoxox xox xoxox

"A titan!" Mikasa suddenly exclaimed.

"I'm on it," Armin took to the trees with Mikasa watching him go. She gave Hange an impatient look.

"Let's trust him," Hange insisted, moving forward at a slow pace with Erwin on her back and taking cover behind a tree, motioning for Mikasa to do the same.

Armin darted past them, not seeing them behind the tree and dashed away, then dropped to the ground as the explosion echoed and the shockwave sent ripples of energy through the air. Hange and Mikasa had to hold on to the tree, as well as hold Erwin in place or they would be thrown back. Distance and staying low to the ground was the most effective way to avoid the strange shockwave, it was quite the unnatural explosion. Armin got up and looked around. He spotted the others and ran over to them. "Three meters, I actually got it!" It wasn't too big, but solo kills weren't Armin's thing, so it felt like a big leap forward. "Is everyone alright?"

Hange and Mikasa looked like they had headaches, they didn't get hit by the debris, but the shockwave somehow made their heads vibrate in a painful way. They nodded as they groaned in pain, but they soon noted that there was an additional set of pained sounds in their chorus. Erwin was waking up. 

The commander rubbed his aching head and stood dizzily. He was a bit disoriented, he remembered finding Hange's glasses, then there was a blank and the next memory was what had to be a dream. He had found Hange, but she was wearing bunny ears, had a grandfather clock on her back and kept repeating she was late. He noticed that he was, not only in the company of Hange, but also Mikasa, Armin and a sleeping Tony.

"Oh good, you're not in a coma," Hange let out a breath of relief. "We were just on our way to regroup with Levi. Tony's still unconscious. (Name) is dead and Levi's gone Eren."

"What?" Mikasa snapped suddenly.

"Titan kill kill vengeance crazy," Hange explained, with Mikasa frowning and glaring.

"The fire was put out though, so maybe he didn't start it after all, or not on purpose?" Armin theorized. "He did want us to get out of the way, but maybe that was just because of the explosions from the titans."

"Either way, the explosions stopped now," Mikasa got to the point. "And if the stench is any indication, we must be close to where the fire was."

"But who knows where Levi ran off to now?" Hange wondered. "We need to catch up with him and help out, this forest is too much for any one scout to handle, no matter who it is. Operation Levi's Heartbroken Titan Kill Kill Eren Style Vengeance Craze must go on!" She shouted.

Erwin stared at her for a moment, "Hange... Did you hit your head when you lost your glasses?"

"Yes, and my headache hasn't gotten any better," Hange admitted.

"That explains it, looks like you got a pretty bad concussion, you always act like you're drunk when you have a concussion." Erwin shook his head, which was still pounding. His memories had fully returned by now and he remember the tree incident. He wasn't sure what was worse, Hange getting stuck or him getting hurt trying to get her out. Of all the ways for the Survey Corps' commander to get injured, this was not the most likely scenario.

"But I didn't kiss you, or force you to kiss anyone," Hange argued in favor of her fragile sanity.

"What?" Erwin gave Hange a suspicious look. He had forgotten about the events of the Christmas party due to his hangover powered amnesia, so he assumed she was talking about something that occurred while he was unconscious. He gave Armin and Mikasa suspicious looks, but they shook their heads and remained silent.

xoxox xox xoxox

An explosion sounded off nearby, which in itself stood out because the explosions had lessened recently, but what stood out even more was the voice of a man who blamed the titans for everything that ever went wrong under the sun. Levi darted towards the sound, with you following close behind. Four titans, from four to eight meters tall approximately surrounded Neil Ral, who was looking quite bruised, but very much alive. Just as two of them attempted to grab him at the same time, Levi flew between them on his ODM gear and snatched the other scout away. They landed away from the four monsters and you wondered if you should go on the attack, even if it meant setting off a chain reaction. A rain of explosives could be very difficult to escape.

"We'll get them all at once, so that the explosion is done and over with," Levi decided. "Neil, can you still fight?"

"Y-yes!" Neil looked like he was still surprised that he was actually alive. After being surrounded, he was sure this would be his end.

"I'll get the two in the middle, you get rid of the one on this side," Levi told Neal as the titans moved towards their prey. "(Name) get the one closest to you! I'll be the distraction, cut all the way down the spine ." With no time for further explanations, Levi pulled himself to the tree tops then jumped down in the middle of the area. The titans tried to surround him, two of them exposing their backs directly to you and Neil respectively. 

You hurried to dispatch your target, trying to time it along with Neil. As soon as Levi saw the two of you were in position, he pulled himself forward, passing next to one of the titans, then went up its back, spinning rapidly and in the same motion, went down again, spin cutting the titan in front of the first. The four titans began to glow red and the three of you darted away to put as much distance as possible between yourselves and the explosion. you nearly ran into Sasha, who had dashed out of the tree line as if death was on her trail, though it was on all your trails really. "Run!" You pulled her along.

"No, no! Behind the trees!" Sasha tugged your arm, pulling you away from the straight line you were running in and towards a thick tree. "Everyone!" Levi and Neil followed, taking cover behind trees and the explosion passed.

You rubbed your aching head. "We could have gotten a few more feet away," Levi approached you and Sasha, followed by Neil. 

"I know, Captain, I'm sorry, I know distance and being close to the ground usually works best against the vibrations, but-" Sasha was cut off mid sentence as another titan arrived. 

The new arrival measured at least seven meters and was heading straight for the group. Levi dispatched it swiftly, and the group once again began to run as it glowed bright red. "Behind the trees now!" Levi shouted, Neil seemed to be caught off guard by the seemingly contradictory strategy, but Levi managed to pull him behind a tree just as the titan exploded.

"You... went behind... the trees...?" Sasha dizzily asked, in way of inquiring if everyone was alright. Her head, as well as everyone else's, were pounding with the strange vibrations of the explosion. Though it was only a minor inconvenience at first, and the headaches were attributed to the noise, the Garrison and Survey Corps who fought beside them to push back the explosive titans, found out the hard way that enough of those vibrations sometimes somehow caused concussions, though no one really understood how.

Though not everyone noticed right away, Levi did put trust in the other scouts and never disregarded what they said without explanation. "Now I see what that was about," Levi pointed at the opposite side of the tree and Neil paled, realizing he almost wasn't out of the way on time.

"Darts? Poison darts?" You guessed, as you looked at the metal needles stuck to the tree.

"Most likely," Levi agreed, because regular needles just wouldn't be troublesome enough. "Is this the only new problem you were trying to warm us about?"

"No," Sasha replied, still surprised that there were more things coming out of the exploding titans. "The other one had swords and daggers inside and..." She trailed into silence.

"Sasha, you're bleeding!" You took note of the big red stain on the ripped fabric on her shoulder. It was hard to see with so little light and at first it looked like it might have simply been a mud stain. 

"Yeah..." Sasha placed her left hand over her injured right shoulder. "One of the swords that came out of the titan stabbed straight through Kyle and got to me. He... didn't make it. Fluffy and the horses are also gone. Are we the only ones left?"

"No," Levi replied, a little too quickly, though he had his reasons. "We've survived this far, the others are skilled too." Yet he couldn't lie about it. "It's highly likely at least some of them are still alive." Some, but not necessarily all, it was a sad thought, but a truthful possibility. "One thing is for sure, Fred, or whoever is behind this," though at this point it felt unlikely that the culprit was different. "Is getting desperate, he knows we have him cornered and is trying to get rid of us, we can't back down now."

You understood where Levi's logic was coming from. Thinking about it, there was no way the titans could naturally produce swords and needles. Someone had somehow put those things inside the titans, someone who was done hiding and would do anything to get rid of the Survey Corps.

To be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some silliness in this chapter because... We needed a dose of silliness by now! Even the title is a little crazy to reflect how this chapter is such a rollercoaster of silly, tragic and silly again. Overall, this story turned out a bit more gory than I originally expected, but the anime is still more gory than this, since you actually see what's happening. Many thanks to those who have continued reading the story, and especially to those who left comments and favs!
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	53. Chapter 53: The Past is Put to Rest

A Matter of Stature

Chapter 53: The Past is Put to Rest

You continued looking for the others with Levi, Sasha and Neil. Sasha's shoulder had been tended to with the limited resources. At least she wasn't bleeding anymore and the wound was cleaner, though she would still need proper medical attention as soon as it became available. You reached the area where the fire had been, and found a few titan bones that were already dissolving. Someone had tossed a few titans into the fire to smother the flames, they didn't explode though, it was another strange peculiarity. 

"Hurry! We need to carry out Operation Levi's Heartbroken Titan Kill Kill Eren Style Vengeance Craze!" Hange announced loudly, as she reached the area where the titan remains were finally fading into nothing. 

"What did you say?!" Levi snapped. It wasn't him that shocked everyone though.

"(Name!)" With Hange leading the pack, followed by Armin and Mikasa, you were soon surrounded and drowned in questions, while Levi's protests went unheard, at least until they realized the questions were overwhelming you and they went to him for answers.

"Weren't you burning down the forest in a heartbroken rage?" Hange questioned.

Levi raised an eyebrow, examining Hange's crazy, or rather, crazier, expression. "Concussion?"

"Yes," Erwin confirmed.

"Either way, burning down a forest in a fit of rage is more like Eren's style than mine," Levi pointed out and Mikasa pouted. "That would have destroyed the evidence."

"(Name?)" The familiar voice caught your attention and when the group parted to grant you passage, you saw Tony with Erwin, the real Tony. You immediately went to him, a million questions that he didn't understand spilling from your lips. You silenced yourself at his confused expression and waited for him to speak. Having just regained consciousness, Tony was still very drowsy. "It hurt... No more... Please... Mama... Papa... Make it stop..." His eyes focused on you for a fleeting moment. "(Name)..." Then he got that terrible lost expression again, "it hurt... it hurt... stop... please... not again..." It was haunting.

"It's ok, Tony," You hugged the little boy, trying to sooth him. "You're safe now, no one will hurt you anymore." You didn't know what it was that he went through, but it must have been terrible. It became evident that Tony wouldn't be able to provide any information any time soon. 

Heavy footsteps were heard, signaling the approach of another titan, it was about seven meters tall and moving very slowly, which made it suspicious. "It'll probably shower us with blades and needles, run ahead, I'll get rid of it," Levi offered.

"Blades and needles?" Erwin inquired in confusion.

"You'll see what I mean in a second, just pick a thick tree and stay behind it," Levi easily avoided the titan's hand and landed atop its head. He stayed there, giving the others time to move away, then spun, cutting all the way down the spine. Subsequently, he retreated to find cover. The titan exploded, but no blades or needles came, instead there was gas. "It's a trap, run!" 

Everyone ran as fast as they could, you still had Tony in your arms and lagged a little behind. Levi easily caught up to you, taking the boy in one arm and your hand in the other. The scouts kept running and coughing. Everything was disorienting, the imagery was wavy, the sounds echoed and every movement seemed to send a painful jolt of electricity all over your limbs. 

Suddenly, the group stopped running and at first you were at a loss as to why. You realized that the gas had dissipated and more distance wasn't really necessary, but that wasn't the only reason why they stopped. The ground was covered in blades and Kyle's body was nearby. The group had run in a random direction trying to get away from the danger and ended up where Sasha had been before. 

You recognized the blades, they used to be mounted on the walls of a room back at Sina as collectors' items when you lived with your father. Most importantly, you recognized the man, "Fred... Fredrick Facio, why? Why did you do all this? I didn't want to think you were evil, but you are!" Everything was out of focus and your head was pounding. A strange echo was all around and your eyes kept watering. You could only guess that everyone else was in the same conditions as you, trying desperately to recover from the effects of the gas.

"That's not my name," his face changed from that of the doctor to a different face. He slowly approached the group with a bottle in hand. "This isn't my identity either, I'm not your uncle, girl, and I have no value for your life, I only wanted your blood to restore her, but it's too late." Once again his appearance morphed into something else, a face unknown to you. "Your father didn't know his brother in law well enough and the whole time he thought I was who I claimed to be. If only I had killed the fool on the day he stole her from me!" He shouted angrily and laughed at the same time, as if he had gone mad. 

"Your uncle died a long time ago, brat, I took his place. I'm the one who should have stayed by her side, and you, the vile monster who stole her life, you should not exist! It's been too long, she's already lost, she can never return, her original form has been all but fully consumed within that monster. You're useless to me now, no improvement on the formula can ever reverse her fate! It's over, after all these years it's finally over, but I won't fall on my own. My final gift to her, after keeping her hidden for so long beyond Maria... My final gift will be to avenge her from all those who would do her harm. I wanted this to be your death, a slow painful poison for a normal human, something faster, but maybe worse, for someone like you, but it doesn't matter anymore." 

He tossed the strange bottle at you and in your shocked state you struggled to catch it. It almost slipped out of your hands, but Levi managed to grab it. The unknown man began to change, titan mist surrounding him. Levi and Erwin were the first to charge forward, but a strange shockwave sent them back as the transformation was completed. A four armed twenty meter tall titan with short white hair towered before the scouts. 

"Sasha, take Tony and get out of here!" Erwin shouted. Sasha knew she wouldn't be able to properly maneuver with her injured shoulder, she could barely move her right arm as it was. 

"Hold onto this too," Levi gave the small bottle to Sasha. She wasted no time in picking up Tony with her good arm and ran away as instructed, trying to keep the boy safe. 

As you watched them run and tried to focus on the battle, you suddenly came to a realization. You recalled your father's words from that conversation that felt so long ago. "I brought her roses often..." "My most stubborn rival, stabbed me in the back..." "I don't know what ever happened to Julius..." "The possibility of childbirth would shorten her life..." "Occasionally, she would say my name or yours, though she never recognized her brother..." 

"Julius," you concluded. "You're Julius!" The man who had killed your uncle and stolen his identity. He had manipulated your father through his pain and controlled him with fragile hope. Your father's past rival for your mother's affections, he never truly let her go. Then that meant that the female titan with translucent hair was...

The four armed titan picked up some of the daggers that were on the ground and began to throw them. The scouts either got out of the way or batted them away with their own swords, but the thrown blades kept coming. It was you, Levi, Neil, Mikasa, Armin, Hange and Erwin versus the four armed titan. The monster soon ran out of blades to throw, but it was evident that he was only toying with the scouts, as it wasn't a very effective strategy in the first place. 

The scouts moved to surround the titan and shot their ODM gear. Levi tried to climb up his back, spin cutting his spine, while the others attempted to keep the creature's four arms busy. Neil was captured in one of the monster's hands and Armin in another. Mikasa began to cut Armin free, but had to retreat as another of the being's arms tried to grab her. While one arm was busy trying to grab Mikasa and the other attempted to capture Erwin, you took the opportunity to cut Armin free, while Hange did the same for Neil.

Levi cut all the way up to the titan's head, but found nothing resembling a weak spot along the spine. He attempted to blind the beast to buy some time, but the monster batted him away. Levi dodged just on time, but Julius managed to grab onto his ODM gear cable and pulled him back. Erwin, Hange and Mikasa led the charge towards the face, narrowly avoiding being grabbed, while you, Armin and Neil tried to keep the arms occupied without being captured. Julius jumped and spun, causing all of you to be tossed around, attached to his body by the ODM gear cables, until the cables came off, with broken flesh and the scouts scrambled to shoot the hooks again to avoid a fatal fall. Julius kept spinning to stop everyone from advancing and focus on Levi without interruptions, as he had been deemed the most dangerous opponent. 

Free to use his four arms against him, Julius managed to grab Levi while everyone was still trying to recover from all the spinning and climb back up from the ground. You desperately tried to reach him, fearing that he would be crushed to death. Sasha's battle cry echoed as she darted up full speed on her ODM gear. Julius had disregarded her since she was injured, but she wasn't out of the fight yet. To your surprise, a familiar yet strange woman was on her back, operating the right side of her ODM gear. The woman was a small titan that looked like you. Sasha sunk one blade into one of the titan's eyes, while the woman attacked the other. "Sorry to disobey orders, but I had to deliver our ally! Slice him up and blow him up!" 

The sudden attack was sufficient for Julius' grip to loosen around Levi just enough for him to attack within the titan's fist and cut his way out. Sasha retreated to take care of Tony, while the little titan who looked like you bit the four armed titan until the monster finally crushed her into titan dust in his fist. The whole situation was very confusing, but you knew that human sized titan came from you. Erwin, Hange and Mikasa moved down to cut down the titans' feet and limit his movement. Armin, Neil and you followed, while Levi spiraled all around the monster, looking for the weak spot. After Hange cut off the monster's toes they started to glow red and Sasha's words suddenly made sense. "Everyone to the head!" Erwin led the way up the back, cutting off an attacking hand on the way. 

The explosion from below blew off more chunks of the feet and lower legs, causing the titan to fall to his knees. Everyone continue cutting off chunks of the creature. You thought you heard Hange yell, then fingers glowing red fell. You saw a slight bump moving through the titan's torso and it caught your attention, though it was far from your position near the left shoulder. "Over there, near the left side of the waist!" You hurried to the spot, though it kept moving until it was in the front of the abdomen. Levi had already moved towards the head to prevent the eyes from regenerating, while the rest of you were busy preventing the limbs from growing back. 

The titan's legs were severed to the knees and the scouts kept batting the pieces of flesh towards the arms. The pieces were small, as were the explosions, but the shockwaves felt like they were piling up and it was hard to focus with your painful headache. The scouts tried to catch up to the suspicious bump that was moving across the titan's body, while keeping the explosions going. He had turned into an explosive titan because that little titan that looked like you bit him. 

Though it seemed that all human sized titans had the appearance of a young adult, if she was like you, then she should have a similar mindset, even if she didn't have the full intellect of a human. She knew what she was doing and wanted to help everyone, but where had she come from? You pushed the thoughts away for the time being. Sasha should have some answers about that she could share later. What mattered was that the Survey Corps were finally making progress. 

Feeling trapped, Julius appeared, breaking through the skin of the titan's chest while it laid on its side. Neil rushed over to attack, but Julius pushed himself with the stubs of his legs and four arms and began to roll over, throwing everyone into a tangled mess as he flailed around with what was left of his limbs. Neil managed to grab Julius' true body and prepared to stab him. All the flailing had slowed down everyone's progress in catching up to Julius true body, Neil had simply been close by, suspiciously close to where Julius happened to emerge. 

"It's a trap!" Levi tried to warn him. Julius jerked strangely, the titan's spine cracking as he did, though he seemed mostly unaffected by it, the titan was already broken. The sudden movement delayed the scout's progress, with a few ODM gear hooks ripping off pieces of skin and coming loose. The titan's skin was oddly thin, as if there was hardly any substance to him despite his large size. The skin broke off easily, so the hooks couldn't be shot from too far away or they would lack the force to go in deep enough to support the scouts.

"Neil, get out of there!" Everything happened in a split second, but it felt like an eternity. Levi's ODM gear hooked nearby close to where Neil was trying to stab Julius, struggling against the strong mutant, who held the scout's arms motionless. The titan rolled, the ground approached. Neil let go of one of his swords. Julius thought he had forced him to let go and released Neil's fractured arm to grab the discarded weapon. 

Neil said something that you couldn't hear and reached for the hook of the ODM gear that carried Levi towards him. He pulled it out from the fragile skin and released it. The titan finished rolling and Neil disappeared under him, while the rest of the scouts were left on his back. You would later find out that Neil's last words were "my choice." He knew that Levi was trying to save him and knew that he would likely die trying. It would take some convincing, but you would eventually make Levi understand that no matter what the Ral family may say, Neil's final action proved that he didn't hate him or blame him for his death or Petra's, at least not anymore. 

The titan was still for a moment, "this is our chance!" You reacted to Erwin's voice and continued the efforts. Though Julius had likely succeeded in killing Neil, his sacrifice bought precious time for the others to attack and it couldn't be wasted.

"No!" Sasha called out in terror, "Tony!" Her voice cut through all the other sounds and you couldn't help it but to look in her direction. She was trying to catch up to Tony. He seemed to have recovered somehow, but he was strange, he was glowing as if he would explode. It happened before he even reached Julius, who was suddenly regenerating rapidly, his hair going from white to ginger, as if he had somehow absorbed Neil's very life to heal himself. You realized the trap was different from what you had thought, Julius meant to allow someone to reach his true body, not to kill them but to steal their life energy for himself. 

Tony blew up in a rain of guts and limbs that you couldn't comprehend. From each piece there materialized a human size titan. The little titans joined the attack, devouring the flesh of the large one until they tunneled through to the torso. Levi was the first to reach their position as the small titans jumped inside the large one. He looked inside for a moment, considering his strategy, then, seeing as the inner walls were not as hot as he would have guessed, he jumped in. Shocked, you hurried after them and threw yourself down the opening followed by Mikasa. You caught a glimpse of Erwin in the fleshly tunnel entrance, but the skin closed up before he could go in. 

You later found out that Tony remembered something, he said that Fred cut off his arms and legs over and over and used a strange liquid to turn them into little titans. He drank the poison that was meant for you, Sasha had been caught off guard and couldn't stop him, a fact that she felt terribly guilty for. You tried to reassure her when you heard about what happened, trying to focus on helping your friend move on rather than the terrible things that happened to Tony in a past you couldn't change. 

You told Sasha that there was no way she could have guessed Tony would do something so crazy. That regardless of who was with him, it would have happened the same way. You reminded her that she had warned the group about the exploding titans being filled with weapons, made it so that Kyle's sacrifice wasn't in vain, brought the little titan you to the fight and turned the whole battle around by blinding Julius' titan. That had also been a vital factor to Levi's survival, which you were especially grateful for.

If the small titans were formed from limbs, then the titan of you must have been made from the hand you regenerated. Julius had been camping in the little cave near the river, he must have dropped some of the same liquid Tony drank into it. The head that Levi had mistaken for you, belonged to another human sized titan of you, it must have formed from the hair you had Levi cut off earlier. Clearly, the effects of external and internal contact with the substance were different, though the details about what it was remained unknown.

Inside the titan it was dark, moist, hard to breathe and all around stinky and disgusting. It began to move just as the lamps were starting to give out. Julius true body was inside, while the others were fighting his titan form from the outside. You knew the only way to finish him was to destroy his true body and it was only a matter of time before he destroyed all the little titans. The large titan didn't change, so simply being killed inside it wouldn't make it one absorb any energy. 

You saw what was left of Neil's remains near the bottom of the torso cavity, he looked like he had been torn apart by human sized bites. You realized that Julius ate his flesh with his true body to pass that energy onto his titan. You saw Mikasa nearby and approached her, the two of you automatically agreed to cover each others' backs. You kept looking for Levi but didn't see him, his lamps must already be off, yours only had a little oil left because you had found some to add earlier at the riverside cave. 

Several explosions came from outside. The scouts began to focus on blowing holes through the torso, even if it meant the limbs would grow back without the constant attacks aimed at them. The area outside had been completely cleared out by the fight and the faint light of the full moon and stars began to shine through the holes. You finally spotted Julius, moving rapidly in the thick walls of the titan's torso. Levi was chasing after him, but every time he tried to stab him, he would go through the flesh, moving to a different area with great speed. Levi had been the one closest to the gas trap, he inhaled the most gas and even though he made an effort, he wasn't quite up to his usual speed. Mikasa and you, tried to trap Julius between the three of you, but he was too fast and the lack of proper illumination made it hard to track his movements. 

A loud voice you had heard before echoed and a series of explosions followed. A large hole was blown on the torso and the cause became evident to you. The female titan, your mother, she brought several explosive titans, attracting them with her voice and was destroying them to attack Julius. The scouts fighting outside had retreated, giving her room to continue her assault. Her long fingers reached past you and grabbed Julius just as he emerged from what was left of the torso in front of you. His true body was separated from what was left of the titan and the female bit off his head. 

Julius' lifeless human body fell from her mouth and you felt yourself fall to your knees. "Is it really over?" You looked at the female titan, wondering just how much of the situation she really understood. It had been years since she last saw you, so she couldn't recognize you. Yet you had addressed her husband as father, did she truly understand you were her daughter? After all this you thought she had to. "Mother..." Her strange long hands reached out for you, but you didn't move an inch, then suddenly, something in her eyes changed and in less than half an instant Levi had sliced off the long hand. "What?" You were confused at first, then you saw it. The face of Julius became visible on the female titan's forehead. 

The titan that was once your mother screamed, but the explosive titans wouldn't heed the commands, that power was your mother's, not Julius', and he didn't know how to use it. Somehow, before his brain died, in the split second when his head was in her mouth, he attached himself to her titan body and his brain used it to survive. The titan jumped and contorted strangely in mid air, and from where the creature's heart would be if it were human, it pulled the remains of a body with its one good arm. The body, or rather the torso, as the limbs still hung from the titan's chest, was human and badly damaged. It was bony, with too many patches of skin missing, but you knew the face was that of a woman, your mother, what had been left of her, which could never be human again. 

The titan that was now under Julius' control, jumped and twisted in the air to dodged the hooks of the ODM gear, but the scouts didn't stop in their attack. He couldn't be allowed to run away and recover, even if the scouts were tired and injured, their lamps were out of oil, save for one of yours, and all their ODM gear was out of fuel. The scouts kept throwing the hooks by hand, trying to tangle the enemy together. The explosive titans no longer listened to the translucent haired titan's commands, but you still ran the risk that Julius would figure out how to hit the right vocals to mount a full scale attack given enough time. "He's gone mad, we won't get any information out of him, don't try to capture him, kill him the first chance you get!" Erwin shouted, this enemy was simply too dangerous.

Eren's words rung out in your head from when you last saw him right before leaving on this, your second official mission with the Survey Corps. "Don't forget, they are the prey, we are the hunters." Tonight your prey would burn. You smashed your remaining lit lamp into the long translucent hair just as the titan managed to jump away. The flames spread and the titan fell, rolling on the ground, with the fire spreading to the flora all around, yet they couldn't be put out from the monster's body, fire was this titan's weakness. You watched it be consumed, reduced to ashes that turned to dust. You watched your past burn to nothing, everything you used to know was now gone. You felt Levi wrap his arms around you and held onto him tightly. It was finally over, truly over, but you still had him and your friends. 

Thunder crashed in the distance and a few droplets of rain unexpectedly fell. The forest was filled with exploding titans, so the scouts retreated in a hurry, leaving the forest before the downpour began. Hange seemed to be amused by the escape, cheering, "giddy up, Erwin!" while he carried her piggy back because she had fractured her leg in combat. The titans, which had mostly gathered in the forest began to explode. Out in the open, the scouts avoided them all easily and headed home.

Garrison soldiers came to meet the group as soon as they were spotted and took them back to the city. You sat on the wagon close to Levi. You had a lot to say, but you couldn't quite say anything yet. For now, you just wanted to be close to him and let the fact sink in that the battle had ended and the enemy, at least this enemy, was defeated, even if the war against the titans would have to go on. 

Finally, the scouts crossed the gates of Rose. The place felt drastically different than it was when you left, though it had been only hours ago. The losses were hard, but the mission had been completed and many lives had been saved with the sacrifices made. Wall Rose continued to stand, and humanity continued to live within it because of the Survey Corps. Though Eren was still recovering, he was far too stubborn to stay bedridden, he and Dot Pixis were right next to the gate when you, Levi, Mikasa, Armin, Erwin, Hange and Sasha returned. 

xoxox xox xoxox

The room was filled with light, but you didn't feel like getting up. You were back home in your warm bed, with Levi's arms around you in a cocoon of blankets and didn't want to be anywhere else. You looked at Levi, who lazily opened his eyes when he felt your head move. "Morning... What time is it?" You asked sleepily. "Do we need to get up?"

"Not morning," he replied. "It's about noon, but we don't have to get up today. The Survey Corps are on break." Technically, they were on recovery rather than on vacation, but the point was that they could take a break. 

Last night after getting home you got cleaned up and went to bed. You were just too tired to think, or talk, or do anything. You felt that you wanted to say something, but you didn't know what. So much had happened, but simply stating it wasn't what you wanted to say. Levi already knew what happened and it would be easy to figure out how you felt about it. You didn't want to be told it would be alright, because you knew nothing would be the same again. You closed your mouth after producing no words.

Levi kissed you and you allowed yourself to focus on the sensation of his lips, his taste, his body pressed against yours in a tight embrace, the arm that held you around the waist and the fingers that ran through your hair. "It's never completely ok, but it does get better," Levi finally broke the silence and you felt that you could believe in those words, they held hope, but not unrealistic hope. 

"I know it will, we'll make it better. That's what the wings of freedom do, right? In the end, even if I look back and think I should have done things differently, how would I have made such a choice without knowing what I know now? And a different choice means a different situation anyway, so the whole picture would change. What I mean is... is... I'm not making sense, am I?" You trailed off, you didn't understand the logic of your own thoughts anymore, if there was even any logic left. You tried to say something that would put everything into context, but you couldn't find your voice and instead occupied yourself in rubbing your eyes to dry them.

"You don't have to keep it all in," Levi held you tightly as you finally spilled the tears you held back in the battle field. "You are making sense, you understand, I respect that about you. You know that regret is not something that you should hold onto, it only brings more regret. You already know, the best way to honor the past is by granting the wishes made for the future. If I held onto regret, I would probably be dead by now. I would have focused so much on regretting setting off that stupid gas trap in the forest and been unable to make any choices in battle anymore, or even the choice to make up for it. Don't stop making choices for fear of regretting them, don't stop living. I know that's what should be done, even if doubts come sometimes, I know it." 

You mused over the meaning of his words. Levi was right, this was something you already knew. Your father had regrets, he knew how heavy they were and raised you to live with none, always telling you that the best way to remember your mother, was to grant her wish for your happiness. Throw away the bitterness and keep the lesson that leads to a better choice next time. You slowly calmed down and took a deep breath, finally lifting your face from Levi's shoulder. "I'll grant my father's wish for me, to live a good life, a happy life, with no regrets, it's the least I can do for him, that's the choice I make today, to honor that wish. It's not an easy choice, but I won't regret it. I'll also do my best to remind you not to be held back by regret. Making the past worth it... Making a better future... Making every present moment count... That's what we do..."

"That's how we're free," Levi agreed. "I'll remind you of that too when you need it... (Name)," he looked into your eyes. "I almost didn't allow myself to love you because I thought I might lose you one day, but I'm glad regret didn't steal this moment. Whatever happens, this is something I won't regret." He kissed you again, allowing you to focus on what you did have, rather than what you lost. You allowed yourself to pour all your love and passion into each other, to live in the moment and to make another precious memory together. Levi and you would live by your choices and live without regrets.

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally over! Back when I started writing this fanfic I didn't think I would end up writing this much. It's long enough to be considered a novel. Sometimes plot bunnies are like that, they just take over everything. I'll finally have time to get back into videogames now that this is over! I'll also draw more fanart and add tutorials to my site, so I'll still be active online. As a bonus for my readers there will be an unofficial epilogue. The short epilogue will have some fun silliness and it is up to the reader if you want to count it as part of the story or not.
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


	54. Bonus Epilogue

A Matter of Stature: Bonus Epilogue 

(It's up to the reader to decide if the bonus is part of the story or not. I wrote it just for fun and it has a much bigger those of silliness than the rest of the story.)

You finished maintaining your ODM gear and polishing it, Levi would be proud. "Ok, I'm done, now we can play!" You looked around, but didn't find the one you were looking for. "Oh, oh..."

Levi showed up at the door to the equipment room and you smiled sweetly at him. "Hi Levi, look how shiny my ODM gear is!" You could tell by his expression that he wasn't amused. You pouted, "are you mad at me for some reason?"

Levi shook his head hopelessly, "(Name) I told you to keep a closer eye on him." Ah, so he had been found, good.

"I was, but I swear, that boy can teleport!" He couldn't do that really, a fact that you were immensely grateful for. The child was already a handful as he was, though you still loved the adorable chibi. "He didn't break anything, did he?"

"He got all dirty!" Levi exclaimed, as if it was an irreversible tragedy. "How is he even capable of getting so dirty so quickly? He doesn't get that from me."

You laughed lightly and gave your husband a quick kiss, "don't worry, he'll grow out of it." Every day you assured him that it was perfectly normal for a toddler to get a little dirty when playing. Yet every day Levi would worry that he was doing something terribly wrong and raising his son to be a slob. It was ironic that was the only thing he complained about, it wasn't exactly the worse thing the boy had inherited from you.

Levi finally took a moment to examine your ODM gear. "Not bad," he commended, running his finger on the gear's surface as if inspecting it for dust. "It looks like you're done with your assigned tasks for today, and Eren is giving our dear little mischief maker a bath, so we both have some free time right now."

You and Levi decided to make the best of that free time in whatever way happened to occur to you after you returned to the room you shared. On the way there, Levi told you exactly how he found your son, which was another alarming yet amusing tale for your collection of favorite memories.

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Weeee!" Hange exclaimed as she was thrown through the air and caught in a fit of cheers and giggles.

"Put that down, it's filthy!" Levi scolded with urgency. Kids run around, it's normal, they trip, it happens, they scrape their knees, it's nothing serious... under normal circumstances.

The titan put Hange down, pouting with his overly cute baby face. "Aw..." Hange had a similar expression, as she had been enjoying the 'experiment.' "We were playing."

Levi glared at her, then turned his attention back to the titan. "Change back," he ordered impatiently. The titan only pouted some more, his eyes watering slightly. Levi took a deep breath and tried to calm down. 'It's ok, he's not too big yet...' though he seemed to be getting bigger. 'We're behind the Survey Corps base, no one from outside the scouts saw, it's still a secret...' "Look, I'm not angry at you. Change back, I know you can do it. C'mon, I can't pick you up if you're like this."

The titan seemed to calm down, and in a puff of titan mist, he disappeared, it was a special ability he had to turn back at will, though he still needed a trigger for the initial transformation. Where the titan used to be there was only a small toddler. He looked a lot like his father, having only inherited your eyes... and a manifestation of your 'special condition.' The little boy ran to Levi, lifting his arms in an indication he wanted to be carried. Levi picked up the boy and examined him. "I told you to be careful, look how dirty you got. You're a year old today, you should be getting used to keeping yourself clean." Levi continued the losing battle of trying to keep a toddler clean. His son only giggled in amusement at his neat freak father's attempt to clean his face, which had bits of chocolate on it. With all the sweets the scouts gave their little 'nephew' it was no wonder he was always hyper.

Though you and Levi had many friends that were quick to volunteer themselves as honorary aunts and uncles, dealing with a toddler who could turn into a titan wasn't easy. At least his titan form wasn't too big yet, though it had been proportionally growing along with him. You had initially thought that your child was the same as you and he would grow out of the transformation phase. However, your abilities were a modification of titan shifting and though you weren't a shifter yourself, your genetics carried the possibility. The boy's trigger was blood, it was the same as Eren's and all known shifters. It didn't help that kids tend to have an uncanny ability to hurt themselves in the most harmless of situations, it was simply the nature of being a child. 

Fortunately, it was also in a child's nature to learn quickly by instinct, so it didn't take him long to get used to retaining his human consciousness while in titan form and he could change back into a human at will. Pain was still too much of a distracting factor for him to hold back the titan transformation, but he should be able to control that when he got a little older, until the possibility of scraped knees was no longer any more dangerous to him than to any other child.

Eren, Mikasa and Armin rushed over. "I found Eren!" Armin announced. The blond had a smear of dough on his cheek and a kitchen apron. He had witnessed the transformation from the window and ran off to find Eren, just in case.

"I'll stop him from running off! Don't worry, uncle Eren is coming!" Eren made a motion to bite his hand, but stopped when he realized there was no danger.

"The situation is under control," Levi informed. 

"That's good..." Armin breathed. "I should get back to helping Sasha make the... you know what." Armin slipped away to the kitchen, refusing to say the word 'cake' though the birthday boy was probably too young to care whether or not the cake was a surprise, as long as there was cake.

"If you really want to help, give him a bath." Levi handed the one year old boy over to Eren.

"Didn't he already have two baths today?" Mikasa recalled, it was only the afternoon.

"Three," Levi corrected as he went off to find you. You had better done a fine job with your ODM gear maintenance to have lost track of the tiny titan shifter. He turned back for a moment as Eren, Mikasa and Armin walked off with the boy. "Don't make a mess."

"Aw, you won't make a mess, right?" Eren cooed at the little boy.

"Bubble!" Was the toddler's only comment about the whole situation.

"I was talking to you, Eren," Levi clarified and Eren only laughed nervously.

Mikasa recalled the occasion quite well. The little boy loved playing in the water and kept asking for more bubbles. Eren, being the sweet uncle he was, kept adding more bubbles to the tub until the bathroom was flooded in soapy foam. "I'll make sure the bath goes without incident," Mikasa offered. At least (Name) and Levi's child was generally careful in titan form and haven't had any accidents so far. Perhaps that time he stepped on a lego barefoot while learning to walk traumatized him. Mikasa sighed happily, picturing the day when she and Eren would be running around trying to stop their own child from stepping on people.

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again many thanks to everyone who read, commented, and faved this story! :D
> 
> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/

**Author's Note:**

> Tutorials/Personal: http://azurelight.net  
> Fansites: http://genkigirl.net  
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com  
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


End file.
